§ Mr. MONTAGUhad given notice to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, having regard to the fact that the new taxes which he has proposed in his Budget fall more lightly on Ireland than on England or Scotland, and having regard to the greater benefits accruing to Ireland under the Old Age Pensions Act, he will consider the desirability of making the cost of establishment licences in Ireland equal to the cost in Great Britain?
§ Mr. KETTLEI beg to ask your ruling on a point of order before this question is answered. I wish to ask you two points. In the first place, whether a Member of this House is to be allowed to use the Order Paper to put forward as a matter of fact what is a matter of opinion or controversy; namely, as to whether these new taxes are to fall more lightly on Ireland than on other portions of the United Kingdom. The second point on which I wish to ask your ruling is, in view of the fact that the hon. Gentleman who has asked it is, I understand, the secretary of the Prime Minister, if the House is not entitled to know whether this was asked on his own behalf, or in order to advertise the views which the Prime Minister himself has not the courage to express?
§ Mr. SPEAKERIt would be very inconvenient if every hon. Member had to declare who was at the back of him in asking a question, and it would lead to some rather interesting revelations. As to the form in which the question is put, the views expressed can only be taken as the views of the hon. Member himself, and they are open to argument, or it is open to the Minister to contradict them if they are not his views.
§ Mr. KETTLEI venture to direct your attention to the special phraseology of the question which has been placed on the Paper. It is to ask whether, having re- 559 gard to the fact that these new taxes will have such and such an effect, and I wish to ask whether that is to be accepted as a precedent, and whether other hon. Members are to be allowed to put forward their own particular matters of opinion and have them stated on this Order Paper as matters of fact?
§ Mr. MONTAGUMay I explain that this is a statement of fact, as based on an answer given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in reply to a private Member?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI certainly think it is undesirable to state that which has been the subject of argument, and has been constantly argued, as a matter of fact. It is rather, in my opinion, begging the question. I think, if my attention had been called to it, I should have asked the hon. Member to modify it.
§ Mr. LEIF JONESIs it not the rule that an hon. Member, in putting down a question, commits himself personally to the statement he puts into it—he commits himself to the truth of the statement that he knows is correct?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThis is a matter which has been constantly argued, and will be argued during the course of the Session, and therefore I think perhaps it will be stretching matters a little too far to assume that it is a fact. By the end of the Session it may have been proved one way or the other.
§ Mr. MONTAGUMay I put the question, Sir, leaving out that portion of it which you think ought not to be put?
§ Mr. MacNEILLTell us how it will read as amended.
§ Mr. SPEAKERIt is difficult to amend the question now. Perhaps the hon. Member might postpone it till Monday.
§ Mr. MONTAGUCertainly.