§ MR. HAZELL (Leicester)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he will consider the possibility, in arranging the future business of the House, of bringing on the Estimates in such order that, excluding those for the Army and Navy, all the Votes that have been passed without discussion under the Standing Orders of the House in one session shall be put first on the Order Paper for the succeeding session; so giving the House an opportunity of criticising, at any rate in the course of a few years, the whole of the items constituting the Civil Service Estimates.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe hon. Gentleman is aware that we do give preference, as far as we can, to Votes which have not been discussed in the preceding year and the discussion of which seems desirable. I can hardly lay down in all its force the principle which the hon. Gentleman advocates in his question. It would certainly greatly hamper the House in dealing with the Estimates it especially desires to bring under review.
§ MR. LEWIS (Flint Boroughs)May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it would not be possible to appoint a Committee for the purpose of considering the Estimates, in order that they may be thoroughly discussed.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI presume the hon. Gentleman does not mean a Committee of the whole House, but some special Committee.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThat would be a very violent change in our procedure, and I do not think I can give an answer offhand to such a question of policy.