HC Deb 03 April 1833 vol 17 cc76-9
The Speaker

was anxious, before the House proceeded to the public business of the day, to call its attention for a few moments to the result of the experiment which had been made in an early period of the Session, and which was continued to the present time, for the despatch of private business, and the presentation of petitions. The House was aware of the important alteration that had been made in its hours of sitting, and that, by that arrangement, the House had, on the days when election business did not interfere, sat from twelve to three. The object of this early sitting was to despatch private business, to receive returns made to orders of the House, and most especially to receive petitions. The House having set apart that time for these purposes, resolved to meet for the despatch of the public business of the day at 5 o'clock. One effect of this regulation had been, that it enabled them to proceed at once at 5 o'clock to the public business. So far the experiment had succeeded; but he need hardly say, that as far as related to the presenting petitions it had failed of producing the intended effect, and of meeting the convenience of the House. The proposition was, that the House, on its meeting at twelve each day, should begin where it had left off at three on the day preceding. This had made it necessary to have a book in which the names of Members having petitions to present were entered, and that book had not been long on the Table before it had the names of between 500 and 600 Members, who were to be called on in the order in which they stood. The result was, that no Member knew when his name might be called on, and thus many Members attended from day to day, without being able to present the petitions which had been committed to them. Thus, for example, no Gentleman who saw the books could anticipate what had actually taken place this day—that he should have gone through the whole book. Of course those whose names were far down in the book, not expecting that their names would have been called, were not in attendance, and the result was, that an erroneous impression might go forth—that hon. Members to whose care petitions had been confided were inattentive to their duty in not having appeared when they were called on. But this would be a most unjust inference, for no Gentleman could suppose that a list of 150 names, which had stood before his own, would have been gone through. To prevent a recurrence of this inconvenience he would suggest to the House, that, continuing the early sittings as heretofore, they should, after the Easter recess, go through, at each early sitting, the paper of that day, and that only. This would lead to a certainty of each Member presenting his petitions on the day for which they were fixed. Thus there would be a new paper to be gone through each day. By the practice of the House hitherto, when a daily list was made out, it was open for the insertion of Members' names at ten o'clock in the morning. Now, this gave a decided, and he would say an unfair, advantage, to those Gentlemen who happened to reside near the House. He would suggest that, to equalize the advantage to all Members, the daily list should be opened at eleven o'clock instead of ten; and he had no doubt that the entry of one hour would afford sufficient business for the early sitting of that day. His object was, to render the plan which they had adopted more effectual, and with the changes which he had ventured to propose, he hoped that it would answer the purpose of getting through the early business with convenience to the House.

Mr. Littleton

said, that though circumstances had occurred to render the experiment which the House had tried not as successful as could have been wished, yet it had undoubtedly enabled the House to get through a greater share of business, particularly in the presentation of petitions. He had opportunities of knowing (as one of the Committee on petitions) the number of petitions presented; and he found that up to the 2nd of April last year, when no election ballots had interfered, the number of petitions presented was 926; but that, by the arrangement made by the right hon. Gentleman, for which the House and the country were so much indebted to him, the number of petitions received by the House up to the same date during the present Session was 2,457. He would make only one suggestion on what had been proposed by the right hon. Gentleman, and in the propriety of which they must all concur. He would venture to suggest that the hour for opening the daily list for entering the names of Members who had petitions to present should be at half past eleven, each day. This would afford sufficient time for the entry of names for the presentation of petitions enough to occupy the early sitting.

The Speaker

said, that whatever time would best meet the convenience of the House would answer the object he had in view, in naming a later hour than usual, which was to give equal advantage to those who resided at a distance and to those who were near the House. If half an hour should be found sufficient to fill the daily list, it would be so much the better, for the shortest time in which it could be done would be best and fairest for all.

Mr. Trevor

suggested, that no petition should be received on any day which was not in the list of that day. It was not fair, at the close of a fatiguing day's business to ask the Speaker to sit for an hour or more to receive petitions, which, if time did not admit in the early sitting, should be entered on the list of the next day.

The Speaker

said, that there were occasions when a departure from the general rule in this respect would be not only justifiable but necessary; for instance, in the case of a bill in progress through the House, to which objections existed on the part of many individuals, if time had not permitted in the early sitting, up to 3 o'clock, for receiving all petitions against it, it would be but fair that an opportunity should be given for receiving such petitions at the close of the evening sitting. Having said this, he would state, further, his obligations to Gentlemen who had offered petitions at the close of the sitting, that none had been offered without his having been previously consulted by the Gentlemen to whom they had been confided, as to whether it would be convenient to him to sit and receive them, and that nine-tenths of such petitions related to business afloat in the House. He therefore felt it his duty to express to the House generally, and to every hon. Member individually, his great obligations for their attention on all occasions to his personal convenience.

Mr. Spring Rice

concurred in the suggestion of his hon. friend, the member for Staffordshire, that half past eleven o'clock would be quite time enough to open the list of the day for the insertion of the names of Members who had petitions to present that day. As the right hon. gentleman in the Chair had not repined on account of the additional labour thus heaped on him by the new regulations, the House should take care that it was not pressed to too great an extent. The House would bear him out in the statement, that no right hon. Gentleman who had ever filled that Chair had ever burthened himself with so large a share of business.