§ MR. MITCHELL HENRY (Glasgow, Blackfriars)Mr. Speaker, in view of the important debate which is to take place to-morrow, I wish to call attention to the fact that some hon. Members of the House do not seem to have understood the ruling which you laid down the other day as to the securing seats in this House. I have been requested by many hon. Members to ask you to repeat your ruling with regard to Members who come down to the House and place their hats in their seats and then leave the precincts of the House. As I understand it, you have ruled distinctly that a Member wishing to secure his place in the House for the rest of the evening must be present at Prayers and take his seat in the House, and, of course, power is then given to him to retain it. Would you be kind enough to call attention to the Rule which must be obeyed in this matter?
§ MR. SPEAKERThe hon. Gentleman has rightly understood the ruling winch I gave from the Chair some weeks ago. It is a matter of mutual courtesy between Member and Member more than a point of Order; but there is a definite Rule of this House that before a Member can secure a seat he must be present in his seat at Prayer time; and, though by an arrangement of the House that has been repeatedly sanctioned, a Member may place his hat in his seat before Prayer time, it is an essential condition that he should occupy that seat at Prayer time before he can retain it for the rest of the evening. In my opinion the use of duplicate hats are a contravention of the Order of the House.
§ MR. MITCHELL HENRYThen, Sir, do I understand that a Member placing his hat in a seat before the House meets is not at liberty to leave the House?
§ MR. SPEAKERThat is a matter rather for the hon. Member who has left his hat in a seat to decide for himself. As I have said, the use of duplicate hats is a contravention of the spirit of the Rule.
§ MR. MACFARLANE (Argyll)I wish, Sir, that your ruling in this matter should be as explicit as possible. It is understood that part of the courteous arrangement as to hats includes this—that a Member who places his hat in a particular seat at any hour of the day does not between that time and Prayers leave the precincts of the House?
§ MR. SPEAKERI could not lay down a Rule so explicitly as that; but I say that if a Member places his hat in a seat he has a sort of inchoate right to that seat at Prayer time; but he cannot retain his seat for the rest of the evening unless he is present in the seat in which he has placed his hat at Prayer time.