HC Deb 29 April 1898 vol 56 c1555
MR. FIELD

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Government will consider the advisability of carrying into practical effect the recommendations of the Committee which inquired into and reported on the question of directors of companies voting on legislation concerning their own companies?

THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY

The only definite suggestion of the Committee to which the honourable Member refers was that a Standing Order should be passed to the effect that— Any Motion to disallow the vote of a Member shall be made immediately after the declaration from the Chair of the numbers in the Division in which such vote was given, and shall be exempt from the operation of any standing order regulating the sittings of the House. I do not know that the adoption of that Standing Order could have any very great practical effect in the direction the honourable Gentleman desires. In any case, we could hardly have an opportunity at the present time of dealing with any alteration in our Standing Orders.