§ MR. WHALLEYsaid, he had a Question to ask which had reference to the Count-out of last evening—namely, Whether the Government are prepared to offer any explanation with respect to it. The First Lord of the Treasury, in asking for a Morning Sitting, said he would undertake, so far as the Government were concerned, to make and keep a House. He desired to ask the right hon. Gentleman who represented the Government at that moment, whether 2 they desire to offer any explanation of the repeated stoppage of business by Counts-out, especially that of last night?
§ SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSONIn answer to the Question of the hon. Member I have to say that, so far as the Government were concerned on that occasion, they entirely carried out what they had promised to the House. They were in attendance, and I think the House will agree with me that, after the House was made, it rested entirely with the Members whether they felt sufficient interest in the proceedings to keep a House.
§ DR. KENEALYAs supplementary to that Question, and following the example of the hon. Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. Newdegate), I beg respectfully to ask you, Mr. Speaker, By what hon. Member your attention was called to the fact that there were not 40 Members present?
§ MR. SPEAKERThe hon. Member for North Warwickshire asked me a Question recently as to who was the Member who noticed that 40 Members 3 were not present. I stated to the hen. Member, in reply, that such a question was most unusual, and I expressly made use of that expression in the hope that such a Question would not be repeated. In saying that, I wish to state to the hon. Member for Stoke that I have no desire to make this answer in any spirit of discourtesy to that hon. Gentleman; but I think it important to prevent a practice which is new, and which might lead to great inconvenience. I have no doubt the hon. Member will be enabled to obtain the information from other sources.