Commons Sitting of 18 August 1892

Preamble
The House met at Three of the clock.

NEW WRITS.
On the Motion of the Right Hon. E. MARJORIBANKS, the following New Writs were issued:—
For County of Edinburgh, v. Right Hon. William Ewart Gladstone, First Commissioner of the Treasury.
County of Fife (Eastern Division), v. Herbert H. Asquith, esquire, Secretary of State.
Stirling District of Burghs, v. Right Hon. Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Secretary of State.
Borough of Derby, v. Right Hon. Sir William George Granville Vernon Harcourt, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Borough of Glasgow (Bridgeton Division), v. Right Hon. Sir George Otto Trevelyan, baronet, Secretary for Scotland.
Borough of Sheffield (Brightside Division), v. Right Hon. Anthony John Mundella, President of the Board of Trade.
Borough of Wolverhampton (Eastern Division), v. Right Hon. Henry Hartley Fowler, President of the Local Government Board.
Borough of Nottingham (Eastern Division), v. Arnold Morley, esquire, Postmaster General.
Yorkshire (Rotherham Division), v. Arthur Herbert Dyke Acland, esquire, Vice President of the Council for Education.
Borough of Aberdeen (Southern. Division), v. James Bryce, esquire, Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster.
Borough of Bradford, v. Right Hon. George Shaw Lefevre, First Commissioner of Works.
On the Motion of the Right Hon. A. AKERS-DOUGLAS:—
For Borough of Bury Saint Edmunds, v. Lord Francis Hervey, Civil Service Commissioner.
MR. SPEAKER: The remaining Writs, I understand, will be moved later. I propose to suspend the Sitting until half-past four, for the sole purpose of issuing the remainder of the Writs.
(3.25.) Sitting suspended.
(4.38.) Mr. SPEAKER returned to the Chair.

AUTUMN SESSION.
MR. KEIR HARDIE: Mr. Speaker, I rise to put a question of which I have given you private notice. Perhaps you will allow me to offer one word of explanation as to why I put the question. On Thursday last week I gave notice of an Amendment to the Address; but when the Amendment then before the House was disposed of there was so much noise and confusion that I did not even hear the Main Question put; and I anticipated that to-day there would be an opportunity of discussing the point embodied in my Amendment. I find, however, that under the ordinary Rules

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of the House there will be no such opportunity. The question which I desire to put now, Sir, is whether, in view of the interest that has been awakened on the question of holding an Autumn Session for the consideration of measures designed to improve the condition of the people, there is any way by which the sense of the House can now be taken for the guidance of the Ministry now in process of formation?
MR. SPEAKER: In reference to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question, I have to say that I was aware that the hon. Member handed in his Amendment, and it was owing, no doubt, to a want of knowledge of the Forms of the House on the part of the hon. Member that he did not rise to move his Amendment. I put the Main Question, as hon. Gentlemen are aware, and though there was, no doubt, considerable noise in the House, and the hon. Gentleman possibly did not hear the Question put, I was not responsible for that. The Question was put, and no other Amendment was put. With reference to the question which the hon. Gentleman now asks me—whether an opportunity can be given for discussing the question—I have to say that it is not in accordance with Constitutional usage or precedent when the House meets under circumstances such as the present that there should be any discussion at all; least of all any vote come to on any question. There is a deficiency in our Parliamentary system at this moment. A Ministry has gone out and the new Ministry has not yet come in. The Members of that Ministry are not yet qualified to take their seats or to answer any questions. It is, I repeat, in accordance with Parliamentary usage and Constitutional custom that nothing can be done on the present occasion, but with one purpose, and that purpose, for which the House meets to-day, is to supply that deficiency by moving the Writs to enable the incoming Ministry to become duly qualified Members of the House. Under these circumstances I am sorry to have to inform the hon. Member that there is nothing else before the House at present.
MR. KEIR HARDIE: In the event of the House being unanimous now, I wish to ask you further, Sir, is it possible to have the question raised?
MR. SPEAKER: There is no responsible Ministry of the Crown to give a definite answer to the question, and it is quite beyond the ordinary usage and custom of Parliament for the House to discuss questions in the absence of the responsible advisers of the Crown.

NEW WRITS.
On the Motion of the Right Hon. E. MABJORIBANKS, the following New Writs were issued:—
For Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, v. Right Hon. John Morley, Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
County of Cornwall (Mid or St. Austell Division), v. William Alexander McArthur, esquire, Commissioner of the Treasury.
Borough of Southwark (Western Division), v. Richard Knight Causton, esquire, Commissioner of the Treasury.
County of Merionethshire, v. Thomas Edward Ellis, esquire, Commissioner of the Treasury.
Hackney (South Division), v. Sir Charles Russell, Q.C., Attorney General.
County of Forfar, v. John Rigby, esquire, Solicitor General.
Counties of Clackmannan and Kinross, v. Right Hon. John Blair Balfour, Lord Advocate for Scotland.
Elgin District of Burghs, v. Alexander Asher, esquire, Solicitor General for Scotland.
County of Northampton (Mid Division), v. Hon. Charles Robert Spencer, Vice Chamberlain of Her Majesty's Household.
Stoke upon Trent, v. George Granville Leveson-Gower, esquire, Comptroller of Her Majesty's Household.
MR. E. MARJORIBANKS: I move that the Sitting be suspended till Nine o'clock.
Motion agreed to.
The House resumed its Sitting at Nine o'clock.

PROROGATION OF THE PARLIAMENT.
Message to attend the Lords Cormissioners;—
The House went;—
A Commission for proroguing Parliament was read.
After which,
THE LORD CHANCELLOR said:—
My Lords and Gentlemen,
By virtue of Her Majesty's Commission, under the Great Seal, to us and other Lords directed, and now read, we do, in Her Majesty's Name, and in obedience to Her Commands, prorogue this Parliament to Friday the fourth day of November next, to be then here holden; and this Parliament is accordingly prorogued till Friday the fourth day of November next.