§ COLONEL DENNY (Kilmarnock Burghs)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he would consider the advisability of proposing some rule which would prevent a Member from blocking a Bill coming up for consideration after midnight, unless he can show that he has the support of a reasonable number of Members in the House at the time?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYI agree with my hon. Friend in thinking that the rule of objections after 12 o'clock is often abused—["Hear, hear!"]—and I think everybody who has watched our proceedings at that time will be of that opinion. At the same time I have never seen a really practicable scheme for getting over the difficulty, and I am convinced that the House would be very jealous of any alteration in the Twelve o'clock rule which, however it might facilitate legislation, would materially interfere with their convenience. [Cheers.]