§ The following Motion stood on tie Paper in the name of Sir H. CAMPBELL BANNERMAN:—" That the proceedings on the Town Tenants (Ireland) Bill (Motion for Committal to Standing Committee on Law) be not interrupted this evening under the Standing Orders (Sittings of the House), and may be entered upon and proceeded with at any hour, though opposed."
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURsaid he desired to address to Mr. Speaker three points in order, relating to the Motion standing in 251 the name of the Prime Minister. The first was whether under the Standing Orders this Motion was one which must be put without Amendment or debate. The Standing Order relevant to the point said that a Motion might be made by a Minister of the Crown at the commencement of public business, to be decided without Amendment or debate, by which the proceedings on any special business if under discussion at eleven o'clock were not to be interrupted. It would be seen that that was not the form which the Government had adopted for their Motion, and he asked whether the Motion was not debatable in character. His second Question, which depended on the Answer to the first Question, was whether if they had a debatable Motion brought on before Supply that would prevent the day being regarded as one of the allotted days for Supply. His third Question was whether under any circumstances it was possible under the Standing Order to take business other than Supply after eleven o'clock on a Supply day.
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid that with regard to the first Question he had no doubt this Motion was debatable, because it did not follow the form of words sot out in Standing Order No. 1, Sittings of the House. With regard to the second Question, in his opinion as this matter was debatable, it became business, and therefore it would endanger the day being counted as an allotted day. As to the third Question, did the right hon. Gentleman mean business to be taken after eleven o'clock without any special Motion?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURsaid he knew that the Standing Order enabled the discussion of business of Supply after eleven o'clock on a Motion of a Minister of the Crown to be taken without debate; but he understood that on no account was it possible to take business on a Supply Day after 11 o'clock if that business were not connected with Supply.
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid he thought that was the right construction of the ruling. All that the House could do was under Standing Order No. 1 to order that the business under discussion at eleven o'clock could be continued, which meant that the business of Supply could be continued, but that no fresh business could 252 be taken if opposed, without a general order for the suspension of the eleven o'clock rule being in force, or a special order to that effect made on a previous day.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANsaid of course Mr. Speaker's ruling would prevent his making the Motion on the Paper, but he might say there were precedents for a Motion of this sort being taken without discussion by which the Government had been misled.
§ MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford)said, without questioning Mr. Speaker's ruling, which, of course, they could not for a moment do, he would like to say that last session this practice was resorted to more than once by the late Government, and Motions of this kind were carried without discussion. He supposed the House might take it for granted that an early opportunity would be given for bringing forward the Motion to refer the Bill to a Grand Committee.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANYes; it is our intention.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURasked whether the right hon. Gentleman would bear in mind that it would be adding an additional hardship if he were to introduce the Motion on an Education day.
§ SIE H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANsaid it would be in order on an Education day, and it was to avoid inconvenience that the Government put the Motion, down for to-day.