BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE (PROVISIONAL ORDER BILLS). (Hansard, 19 December 1908)

§ LORD R. CECIL
said he desired to move as an Amendment to add at the end the words "and that this House do not adjourn this day without Question put."

§ * MR. SPEAKER
That is not in order. It is not a competent Amendment. It refers to a wholly different matter.

§ LORD R. CECIL
said that but for the Motion now before the House the Government would be bound by the provisions of the Resolution which was passed at the end of July, namely, that the House should adjourn at the end of the Government Orders without Question put. The Motion which had just been proposed would enable the House to sit beyond that time, and he submitted that it was in order to add to the Motion that the House should not adjourn without Question put. Perhaps he might be allowed to say that in July the Government themselves gave an undertaking that they would move, "That the House do now adjourn," before the last Order of the Government if any hon. Member of the House desired to raise any question affecting the policy of the Government. Of course, if this Motion were carried, it would be impossible for the Government to do that because of their desire to keep the House sitting to consider the Provisional Order Bills. He, therefore, submitted that, in view of the pledge which was part of the condition on which the House assented to the Resolution passed in July last, his Amendment was germane to this particular Motion.

§ * MR. SPEAKER
The House, after due notice and consideration, came to a certain resolution as to how the business was to be concluded, and now without any notice the noble Lord would seek to repeal that resolution so solemnly arrived at. The object of this Motion is to enable Provisional Order Bills, which are of the nature of private business, to be taken after public business, instead of before. In consequence of some delay in the House of Lords the Bills have not yet reached this House.

§ LORD R. CECIL
asked whether the Government would move "That the House do now adjourn" before the conclusion of the Government Orders of the Day so as to enable him to raise the question which he desired to raise, and which he thought it was of real importance to the Government and the country to discuss.

§ MR. J. A. PEASE (Essex, Saffron Walden)
said that in the absence of his right hon. friend the Leader of the House he was not able to assent to the proposal of the noble Lord. He would, however, endeavour to ascertain the view of the Prime Minister on the subject. He might say that he only received notice a few minutes ago of the question which the noble Lord desired to raise.

§ LORD R. CECIL
explained that the short notice was not due to any discourtesy on his part towards the hon. Gentleman, whose courtesy they were glad to acknowledge in all matters. He only received intimation of the facts himself that morning and it was for that reason he had not been able to give longer notice.