I was saying that it seemed that there was an important difference of principle between an Act of indemnity to relieve a man from financial penalties on the one hand, and an Act of indemnity on the other hand to declare that never to have been the law in his case when it was the law for everyone else. I was saying in support of that contention that Mr. George and Sir Roland Jennings both had the opportunity—of giving their explanations to the Select Committee and, through the Select Committee Report, to the House of Commons.

Of course, the House of Commons ought to take full cognisance of the explanations which have been given, but do not these men owe explanations elsewhere? Is it only to the House of Commons—I almost said, "to their fellow Members," but that would have been a wrong expression in the circumstances—that they owe an explanation? I should have thought that in both cases explanations were due in the first place to the electors who had been misled into doing a legally invalid thing, misled into electing to represent them someone who by Statute was incapable of representing them. I should have thought that explanations were due in the first place there.

A Bill of indemnity excusing them from financial penalties but not going beyond that, if, in addition, two hon. Members—I should have hoped Government hon. Members—had moved the kind of Motion that was moved last Monday stating the obvious legal fact that these persons were incapable of being elected, that the seat was vacant and moving for the issue of a new Writ—that, I should have thought, would have been the proper way of dealing with the matter, if the circumstances were such that the House thought no financial penalty ought to be involved. I hope that when the Committee stage comes along opportunity will be taken to separate the two things, to relieve either or both, as the House may see fit, of the financial consequences, but not to deprive the electors of the constituencies of voting for those whom they wish to elect as their representatives in the circumstances that have occurred.

I know that later today we are to deal with a number of these questions—not before time. I do not think that the Bill with which we are to be asked to deal later is sufficiently far-seeing. It includes some things which ought not to be there, and others which should—