§ MR. MACNEILLI wish to ask you, Sir, whether, having regard to recent occurrences in the Crewe Division of Cheshire, there is any method of enforcing the constitutional obligation of an hon. Member of this House to attend the service of the House and to prevent the practical disfranchisement of the constituency which that hon. Member represents?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYI think, Sir—
§ MR. MACNEILLOh! no, no ! I asked Mr. Speaker, not you. [Laughter.]
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYI beg pardon. [Laughter.]
§ *MR. SPEAKERI am not aware there is any precedent, at least in modern times, for making an order on an individual Member to attend the House, except for the purpose either of giving evidence before a Committee, or attending upon a Committee, or obeying a previous Order of the House or Committee, or to answer for some alleged breach of privilege or order. I say nothing about the power of the House to make such an Order; but I would point out that it would be a very inconvenient course to make motions with regard to individual Members, because it might lead to retaliatory motions from other parts of the House. [Laughter and "Hear, hear!"]
§ MR. MACNEILLWill the First Lord of the Treasury take any means of enforcing the attendance of the hon. Member for Crewe, so that we may have the benefit of his advice?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYI have a much higher opinion of the services rendered by the hon. Member for Crewe than I have of some other Members who have not been present during the whole Session, and I should certainly not take any exceptional measures with regard to any individual Member. [Cheers.]