§ Mr. LANSBURYHas the Prime Minister any statement to make with regard to the business of the House, and will he inform us for what purpose it is proposed to suspend the Eleven o'Clock Rule to-night? I should like to take the opportunity of telling the right hon. Gentleman that the Opposition are handing in a Motion of Censure, and that we shall be glad, on Thursday, to know when we can have time to discuss that Motion. On the question of Ireland, I might as well give notice now that when we have got the White Paper we shall ask the right hon. Gentleman to give us time to discuss it.
§ Mr. THORNEOn a point of Order. Before the Prime Minister replies, may I ask, Mr. Speaker, what you intend to do with my Private Notice Question?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI understood that the Minister replied to that question, coupling it with another.
§ Mr. THORNENo, I beg your pardon. If you read my question, you will find that the first part has not been answered. The latter part was answered, but not the first part.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member may put the question, if it has not been answered.
§ Mr. THORNEThe question is:
If the Minister of Labour will state whether he has received any communication from public assistance committees protesting against the operation of the means test, and what action he intends to take in the matter.
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe Private Notice Question that I got from the hon. Member, which I answered along with the Private Notice Question from the hon. Member for the Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams) was:
To ask the Minister of Labour if he will state, with regard to the communication he has received from the public assistance committees protesting against the operation of the means test, in what cases Commissioners have been appointed to supersede public assistance committees, and if he can state what, further action ho intends taking in the matter.That is the only part of the hon. Member's question that was handed in.
§ Mr. THORNEThen my original question has been mutilated by some of your officers.
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe hon. Member must not make statements of that sort. [HON. MEMBERS: "Withdraw!"] If the hon. Member desires to put a further question, of course, I shall be ready to answer it, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, to-morrow or on Thursday.
§ Mr. THORNEI will hand the Minister of Labour a copy of the question which was addressed to him yesterday morning and was in his office last night. It does not tally at all with what lie has read.
§ The PRIME MINISTERAs regards the Motion in my name for the suspension of the Eleven o'Clock Rule, I do not propose to move it. With respect to the Motion of Censure, my right hon. Friend will have noticed that I anticipated that yesterday, and we shall be very glad to consider the request that my right hon. Friend makes in regard to that matter. With regard to business to-day, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will make a statement in Committee of Ways and Means on the Agreements concluded at Ottawa.
To-morrow, the Motion on the Order Paper relating to Procedure—New Duties (Procedure)—will be moved, and as soon as that has been disposed of the general debate on the Ottawa Agreements will be resumed.
On Thursday, we hope to conclude the general Debate, and to obtain the Committee stage of the Financial Resolutions.
The business for Friday will be announced later. If there is time on any day other Orders will be taken.
§ Mr. LANSBURYOn the question of the Financial Resolutions, I suppose the Government are proposing to initiate a Debate very similar to Debates on the Budget, general in character. Then they propose to take the Financial Resolutions in Committee. What time does the right hon. Gentleman propose to allow for the Report stage, when we can discuss individually the Resolutions that will be reported to Mr. Speaker? I mean the Resolutions that are to be put on Thursday night. We want an opportunity of discussing them in detail, and not after Eleven o'Clock. The point is this: We are going to discuss generally the Ottawa 23 Agreements, and on Thursday night these Resolutions are to be put from the Chair. The next stage is the Report stage. I want to know, if the hon. Gentleman can tell me, what time is to he allowed for the Report stage.
§ Sir P. HARRISWill the Prime Minister make clear on which Resolution the Chancellor of the Exchequer will make his statement? So far as I can see, it cannot be made on the Resolution on page 2204 until the Resolution at the bottom of page 2203 has been moved and carried.
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe statement to be made by my right hon. Friend will be made on the Resolution which will be moved to-day. A general statement will be made as a preliminary to the moving of that Resolution, not the Resolution at the bottom of page 2203, but the Resolution under Notices of Motion Relating to Orders of the Day. The Resolution Number 1, will be moved to-day and will be the subject of general Debate. With regard to the Report stage, it will not be this week. I understand that some conversations are going on. We do not want to press for the Report stage this week; we would like to accommodate all parties in the House, provided that we ear get the business within a certain period.
§ Mr. LANSBURYI hope that negotiations will take place so that we may have reasonable time to move amendments to the various Resolutions.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI am anxious that negotiations should take place, and I hope that they will begin at once.
§ Mr. McGOVERNIn connection with unemployment and the means test and distress, can the Prime Minister indicate to the House when there will be an opportunity of dealing with the tragic conditions of the workers of this country? I am more interested in that than in any other matter we are discussing.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI cannot give any reply to the hon. Member. I hope the House will understand that one of the reasons why the Ottawa Resolutions are being taken at once is that they will be able to deal afterwards with the general problem of unemployment which we have to face.
§ Mr. McGOVERNI want a more satisfactory answer than that. As a Member of this House, I want to know when we shall have an opportunity of airing the grievances of the workers of this country, who are suffering great hardship and distress? Immediate remedies being essential, I want to know, as a representative of the workers who are suffering, when I am going to have an opportunity of voicing their grievances on the Floor of this House?
§ The PRIME MINISTERWe are all equally anxious; and, if the hon. Member will be good enough to wait for the usual statement of business on Thursday, I hope to answer any supplementary questions which he may wish to put.
§ Mr. MORGAN JONESMay I ask your Ruling, Mr. Speaker, on a question which is of interest to all Members of the House. This morning, with several of my colleagues, I called at the Vote Office in order to secure the ordinary copy of the Orders of the Day. We presented ourselves about half-past ten, and were told that the Order Papers had been withdrawn. I submit that this is a source of grave inconvenience to many hon. Members, because on the first morning after a long holiday we assumed that the Government would be ready with its business. May I ask whether steps will be taken to get the Government more businesslike in its work? [Interruption.] The Prime Minister says it is ignorance. May I ask whether he challenges my statement that I presented myself at half-past ten at the Vote Office this morning and found that the Order Papers of the day had been withdrawn?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI was speak-to a colleague, and I am very sorry if I used an observation, on the remark that the Government are responsible for the Order Papers, which I ought not to have used. If I said something that I ought not to have said, I apologise.
§ Mr. SPEAKERWith regard to the point put by the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Morgan Jones), the withdrawal of the original Order Papers for the day was due to a printer's error. They included in the Order Paper Questions which were put down before the Recess for 27th October. It was owing to that mistake that the Order Papers were with- 25 drawn and fresh ones issued. I am sorry that a mistake like that should happen and hope that it will not occur again.
§ Mr. D. MASONMay I ask for your Ruling on a question as to the rights of this House. May I ask whether it is in order for the present Government to propose a Resolution in Ways and Means, upon which they intend to found a Bill, under which this House may not be able to reduce or repeal a tax without the consent of the Dominions? Is that in order, and in accordance with the constitution of this House?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI cannot find that anything is being done which is not in order, If there had been anything I should have objected to it.
§ Mr. MASONI could give many precedents, but this is not the time for doing so. I hope I shall have an opportunity of showing that it is unconstitutional.