HC Deb 05 April 1853 vol 125 cc594-5
MR. DISRAELI

Sir, My hon. Friend the Member for North Northamptonshire (Mr. Stafford) has made an appeal to the noble Lord (Lord J. Russell) to which he did not reply. If the noble Lord could facilitate the discussion on the Motion of the hon. Baronet the Member for Marylebone (Sir B. Hall), it would be agreeable to the feelings of my hon. Friend. I will not ask the noble Lord to say Friday, because business of importance has been fixed for that day, but if the noble Lord could permit it to come on on Monday it would be desirable.

LORD JOHN RUSSELL

Sir, it is very desirable that the Motion of the hon. Member for Marylebone should not be postponed for a very long time. At the same time I beg the House would recollect that we have but two days in the next week, and on each of those days there will be most important business. I should hope that the House might agree that Thursday se'nnight would be devoted to that Motion. Probably the House will agree that the Motion should take precedence on that day of all other Motions by general understanding.

SIR BENJAMIN HALL

I shall be quite ready by that day.

MR. TUFNELL

said, he wished to put a question to the right hon. Baronet the First Lord of the Admiralty with respect to the order lately made in reference to the promotions in Her Majesty's dockyards. He wished to know whether the public service had any guarantee that the order just promulgated would be maintained and enforced beyond the existence of the present Government, or whether any succeeding Board might not be at liberty to revoke them?

SIR JAMES GRAHAM

Sir, in giving my answer to the question put to me, especially after the notice which has already been given by the hon. Baronet the Member for Marylebone, I shall confine myself strictly to facts. It has been the endeavour of the present Board of Admiralty to obtain the best security that, short of an Act of Parliament, can be procured for giving a permanent and lasting sanction to the arrangements which have been made with regard to promotions in the dockyards. An Act of Parliament in reference to those minute details, I am satisfied, would be unavailing. The next best course to an Act was an Order in Council, and for the first time the arrangements to which my right hon. Friend has referred have been embodied in an Order in Council, and there can be henceforth no departure from that Order in Council without an appeal to Her Majesty.