§ MR. MARSHALL HALL (Lancashire, Southport)To ask the First Lord of the Treasury if arrangements can be made by which the answer to an unstarred Question shall be communicated to the Member asking the Question within an hour after the sitting of the House on the day of which the Question is asked.
(Answer.) I fear the suggestion of my hon. and learned friend, viz., than an Answer to an unstarred Question should be communicated to the Member asking it within an hour after the sitting of the House on the day on which the question is asked, would prove extremely inconvenient to the Government Departments, without giving any important advantage to the questioner. If the written reply reaches the questioner in time for the reply to be printed and published with the Votes the following day, it would seem that the new order as to questions is amply satisfied. There may be rare cases when even this degree of expedition cannot be attained, though doubtless the Minister would take care to inform the questioner of such unavoidable delay. (Treasury.)