Sir HENRY DALZIELI desire to ask the Prime Minister a question of which I have given him private notice, namely, whether, in view of the encroachments which have been made this Session on the time of private Members, he will take immediate steps to ensure that in future notices of Motion placed on the Order Paper shall not prevent the full and unfettered discussion of any topic of public interest when a Motion is made by the Government for a holiday adjournment?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI recognise, as I said on Wednesday last, the importance and urgency of this matter. What I propose to do is this: to put upon the Paper myself a notice of Motion curtailing the existing practice, which, I think, does not rest on any Standing Order, but has been sanctioned under successive Speakers. The Motion will be to the effect that on Motions for adjournment for holidays what are commonly called blocking Motions shall not exclude any topic from discussion, subject, as the right hon. Gentleman opposite suggested, to a reasonable limitation of the hours of the sitting.