§ MR. E. ROBERTSON (Dundee)I wish, Sir, to put a Question to you upon a point of Order in reference to the Motion which is about to be made by the First Lord of the Treasury—namely, whether a General Motion to suspend the 12 o'clock Rule would not, by the Rules of the House, be open to debate; and whether a Motion repeated every Monday and Thursday to the end of the Session to suspend the Rule, in pursuance of an avowed purpose, is not a practical invasion of the Rules of the House? Perhaps I may remind you, Sir, of the repeated decisions of your Predecessor, 1615 by which it was held that a combination of Members to secure priority for Motions was a practical violation of the Rules of the House; and that Motions placed on the Paper, in consequence of such an irregular practice, were liable to be struck off.
§ MR. SPEAKERI would remind the hon. and learned Member that the words of the Standing Order are that
The Motion may be made by the Minister of the Crown at the commencement of Public Business, to be decided without Amendment or debate.There is no prohibition against the Motion being repeated.
§ MR. E. ROBERTSONMy Question was directed to the irregularity of the practice.
§ MR. SPEAKERNothing has occurred to show that the Standing Order has not been observed.