HC Deb 21 March 1901 vol 91 cc742-3
COLONEL MILWARD

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether it is his intention to appoint a Committee to consider, with a wide reference, the subject of the procedure of the House with regard to Supply, and especially the allocation of the days for the discussion of particular Estimates.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I have more than once expressed to the House my desire to see a small Committee appointed which should advise the Government and the House as to the distribution of the allotted days between the various heads of Supply. My idea of such a Committee would be that it should consist of seven persons, only two being members of the front benches and five independent Members of the House, with a majority of four to three on the side of the Opposition. If the House consented to the appointment of such a Committee, at any rate as an experiment, we should see how it would work. The Committee will only advise as to the allocation of time as among the twenty-three allotted days. It would not be the same Committee as we should have to appoint wore it thought desirable to look into the general question of how Supply should be dealt with in the House.

SIR JOHN BRUNNER

Does the right hon. Gentleman suggest that the Committee should be appointed at the beginning of each session and give advice for that particular session, or that the Committee shall provide the allocation for all the sessions of that Parliament?

MR. BALFOUR

No, Sir. The plan that has always commended itself to my mind is that this Committee should be appointed each session, and should advise, so to speak, week by week as to how the time should be used.

SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN

The right hon. Gentleman does not say whether he is going to adopt that plan.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I should not like to adopt it without consultation, but if that should be the general view of the House, I should be very glad to put the proposal on the Paper. I shall be glad to consult the right hon. Gentleman before doing so.

MR. LAMBERT

Will the Committee have the power to say whether the number of days devoted to Supply is sufficient or not?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

No, Sir. That would have to be done by a quite different body, if it were referred to a Committee at all. If the House thought it was incapable of coming to a decision, and wished the advice of a Committee, it would be a different kind of Committee to the one which would carry out the function I have just indicated.