§ GENERAL GOLDSWORTHY(for Sir ROPER LETHBRIDGE) (Kensington, N.)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether the attention of Her Majesty's Government has been drawn to the fact that, under the new Rules of Procedure, honourable Members are deprived of the right to discuss, 437 on the Indian Budget, general questions of Indian administration and Indian grievances, save only such as are of a financial or economic character; and, whether, inasmuch as this tends to place Her Majesty's Indian subjects on a footing, in regard to the ventilation of their grievances, different from that of Her Majesty's Home and Colonial subjects, whose grievances can always be discussed on going into Committee of Supply, Her Majesty's Government will, before the Session of 1889, consider the possibility of granting some other annual opportunity for the public discussion of such grievances?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster), in reply, said, the Government were aware of the fact mentioned in the first part of the Question; and he would suggest that it was desirable that on an occasion of that character opportunity should be afforded for discussion of financial and economical questions, rather than that the opportunity should be taken for opening up the whole question of the general administration of India. Opportunities were also open to any hon. Member to raise questions relating to Indian affairs, as other questions were raised, on Tuesdays and Fridays during the Session. On the whole, therefore, the Government did not think it expedient to make any alteration in the arrangements which were now in force with regard to the Indian Budget.