§ Mr. SWIFT MacNEILLPermit me, Mr. Speaker, to ask you a question in reference to a matter of etiquette and procedure and practice in this House. On Thursday last, among the questions of which notice was given for oral answer, the following appeared in the name of the hon. Member for North Armagh (Mr. Moore):—
To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if the Irish Government have had their attention drawn to the recent case where an Irish Privy Councillor undertook to obtain a knighthood for the managing director of a company on condition that he would induce his company to let the Opera House, Belfast, for a Nationalist meeting; and if it is intended to prosecute this gentleman for an offence under the Act relating to illicit commissions to agents, or what action will be taken.The hon. Gentleman was in his place when the question came on in its turn to be asked and the President of the Board of Agriculture was prepared to answer the questions of the Chief Secretary, who was not present, and the hon. Gentleman then said he would defer the question until the Chief Secretary was there to answer it. Now six days have elapsed since, and the answer to that question has not appeared, and the question has disappeared from the Order Paper. What I respectfully ask is this, whether it is in accordance with the practice and etiquette and rules of procedure in this House, to put on the Paper a question involving a grave personal charge for which the hon. Member putting it is primarily responsible, and then to defer the question without giving the Minister an opportunity of defending or making an explanation of the charge. The next question is this, whether, if that is not in accordance with the etiquette, it would be possible for another hon. Member of this House with a view to obtaining the necessary information and of wiping off an aspersion of that kind, to put down the question in the self same words for answer.
§ Mr. SPEAKERWith regard to the question put to me by the hon. Member, of course it is open to any hon. Member to postpone a question if he desires to do so for whatever reason may seem to him fit, either the absence of a Minister or some other reason. If, however, an hon. Member puts a question down involving a charge against an hon. Member of this House, or against some person who is not a Member of this House, the matter ought 1374 to be cleared up. It is taking rather an unfair advantage to put a question down and then never get an answer to it. A question is very often published in the newspapers, and if no answer is made to it it may mislead. I really do not know enough about the circumstances to say whether there was any special charge against some person, or who the person was. I am not sufficiently behind the scenes to know that. There may be some reason why the hon. Gentleman did not put the question.
Captain CRAIGMay I, in the absence of my hon. Friend, accept the full responsibility of putting down the same question on to-morrow's Paper, and perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will then answer it.
§ Mr. THEODORE TAYLORIt would be useful to know whether it is in order for a second hon. Member to put down a question again which has not been asked.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThere is no patent right in questions.