asked the Prime Minister when the Report of the Geddes Committee will be presented?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he proposes to issue in full the Report of the Departmental Committee on Expenditure presided over by the late Minister of Transport?

(by Private Notice) asked the Leader of the House whether it is proposed to publish at an early date the findings of the Geddes Committee?

I have been asked to reply. The question of the publication of the Committee's Report will be a matter for the consideration and decision of the Cabinet.

May I ask when the Cabinet will decide on this question?

I am afraid I am unable to inform the hon. and gallant Member.

Will the Report be published before Parliament re-assembles?

Does the Treasury look with a favourable eye on this Report?

May I ask why the Cabinet cannot consider this matter at once? Why must it be delayed?

Would the hon. Gentleman tell me whether the Report will be published?

It is impossible to give any further answer. The Report has not even been received by the Members of the Cabinet.

May I ask for an answer to my question as to when the Cabinet will consider this matter?

Perhaps my hon. and gallant Friend will allow me to point out the simple fact that the Cabinet cannot consider the Report until it reaches them.

May I ask the Leader of the House if he can say when he, as Leader of the House, expects the Report to be considered?

That is a purely hypothetical question.

On that point of Order. Is it not the case that the Geddes Committee was set up during the last Session of Parliament, that we have been called together for a special Session of Parliament, and that, as financial business is the first business of a new Session, the House is entitled to know whether the Cabinet expect the Report shortly, and, if so, what steps will be taken?

It is one of our Rules at Question Time that we do not admit hypothetical questions. This is one of that nature.

On that point of Order. I understand from your ruling that it is left to the Leader of the House to expect or not to expect a Report from a Financial Committee presided over by a Member of his Cabinet.

That is dependent on a meeting which has not yet taken place.

The question on the Paper asks if he will state when the Report of the Geddes Committee will be presented? We have not had an answer to that. We want to know when it will be presented.

Can the Leader of the House inform us how it comes about that such voluminous reports as to the contents of this Report have appeared in the Press, and whether those reports are accurate?

As I have not seen the Report, which, as I have said, has not yet been presented to the Cabinet, I am unable to say how far any reports in the Press, which I have also not seen, are accurate.

Can the right hon. Gentleman inform the House as to the means by which these voluminous reports have appeared in the public Press, even before the Report itself has been presented to the Cabinet?

I imagine by means of more or less intelligent anticipation.