HC Deb 01 December 1902 vol 115 c855
MR. KENYON

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he will consider the advisability of placing some limitations on the practice of moving Amendments in manuscript of which no notice has been given, and which, owing to the acoustic properties of the House, are mainly unintelligible to a majority of Members.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

Undoubtedly the practice of handing in manuscript Amendments is capable of abuse; but I do not quite see how that abuse is to be restricted without unduly limiting the power of the House in Committee. It would be absolutely necessary, of course, to forbid all Amendments without notice; and it might not be desirable to tie the hands of the Committee in that way. But if we did not, it is difficult to see what limitation ought to be put on this power, though I quite recognise the importance of the matter to which the hon. Member alludes.