HC Deb 02 April 1883 vol 277 cc1171-2
MR. MONK

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether his attention has boon called to the fact that a Member of this House blocked thirty Orders of the Pay on Thursday last; whether he has taken into his consideration such wholesale blocking of Bills; and, if so, whether the Government is prepared to recommend the adoption of some modification of Standing Order 77 A, which places it in the power of a single Member to impede and prevent legislation which may be anxiously expected by the Country?

CAPTAIN AYLMER

asked the right lion. Gentleman whether he could state how many of the 30 Orders of the Day blocked by one hon. Member had also been blocked in duplicate by other hon. Members; and also, whether he was aware that the Waste Lands (Ireland) Bill was blocked last week by one of the Lords of the Treasury; and whether that Bill was so blocked by order of the Government?

MR. GLADSTONE

I am not prepared with the particulars, as I should have been, if I had been aware of the exact form that the hon. and gallant Member's inquiry would take. I am not yet prepared to admit that the blocking of a single Bill is necessarily or presumably done as an abuse, simply because it is done by a Member of the Government. With respect to the Question of my hon. Friend (Mr. Monk), no doubt great abuse is made by some hon. Members of the power of blocking beyond what was in contemplation when this matter was provided for, preventing the resumption or commencement of important debates at unseasonable hours; but it would be a very serious matter to devise a formal restriction of this power—[Mr. WARTON: Hear, hear!]—and until we arrive at the conclusion, either that the evil is very serious, or that those who are supposed to be glanced at in this Question are quite incurable, I do not think it would be wise of us to open the question.

MR. MONK

subsequently gave Notice that if the hope expressed by his right hon. Friend at the head of the Government were not realized, he should take an early opportunity of moving an Amendment to the Standing Order with reference to the blocking of Bills.