HC Deb 03 April 1950 vol 473 cc867-8
Captain Waterhouse

Mr. Speaker, may I call your attention to the fact that of 23 Questions addressed to the Prime Minister, the Lord President of the Council and the Foreign Secretary today only one has been dealt with? I submit that this is depriving Members of the House of their right to question the most important Ministers of State on matters of urgent interest, and I ask you to consider it from that point of view to see if something cannot be done.

Mr. Speaker

The only action I can take—and it would not be very popular—is very severely to curtail supplementary questions. The right hon. and gallant Gentleman may know that once upon a time we did have extra time for Questions, and that proved a complete failure; so that, obviously, is not the answer. I will do my best but with so many questions and so many supplementaries—there were 118 questions for oral answer today—it is a problem to which I do not see any answer.

Earl Winterton

Would you not consider it desirable, Sir, to approach, through the usual channels, the leaders of the various parties with a view to setting up a committee to inquire into this question? Without reflecting in any way upon you, Mr. Speaker, or on your predecessors, there has been a great variation in the attitude of successive Speakers to this question. You may recollect that in the case of Mr. Speaker Lowther never more than three supplementary questions at the most, and generally not more than two, were allowed. In view of the fact that there has been a great variation in the practice by different Speakers could not a committee be set up to go into the whole question? Even though the responsibility must ultimately rest with yourself or your successor in the Chair, that is no reason why the views of the House should not be ascertained.

Mr. Speaker

I shall be very glad of anything that the House can do to assist me, but to make a rule that only two supplementaries should be asked would be a little difficult. Think of Question No. 29, which has just been answered. Two supplementaries would not have been enough in that case.

Mr. Eden

Is not this a matter which very often solves itself as a Parliament grows a little older?

Colonel Ropner

Would it not be possible, through the usual channels, for the Prime Minister's Questions, which now come on at No. 45, to come on at No. 35 or earlier?

Mr. Speaker

That, too, is a matter for arrangement. If I may say so, some hon. Members put down Questions which are purely local. There may be some good reason for it, and I cannot object to Questions on that account, but I believe that a good many could be taken off the oral list and put down as non-oral Questions, which, after all, receive an answer just the same.