HC Deb 17 June 1912 vol 39 cc1324-5
Mr. LONG

I desire to ask a question of which I have previously given notice, whether for the information of the House, and in order to resolve doubts which have arisen touching certain of the Speaker's decisions and rulings before he exercised the Speakership and when he was Chairman of Committees, and of Ways and Means, he will be good enough to inform the House whether during his tenure of those offices, the practice in Committee was altered by him to the extent of ruling out of order a Motion, previously held to be in order, to postpone Clause 1 of a Bill in Committee. In putting that question, allow me to say that there is no discourtesy intended to the Chairman of Committees, nor is it my desire to challenge his ruling, but I desire to get from you, if you would be good enough to give it, a definite statement as to the position in which the House now stands?

Mr. SPEAKER

During the ten years I acted as Chairman of Ways and Means I did on several occasions permit the Motion to postpone the first Clause of a Bill in Committee, but there were occasions when I did not permit the Motion to be made. Two instances have occurred to my mind since I received the notice of the right hon. Gentleman, and I daresay after research I might find others; but there are two that do occur to my mind. I can only say that each case must depend upon its merits. The Chairman of Committees has a discretion to permit, or not to permit, a Motion to be made, and, of course, he would be guided in arriving at each decision by the character of the particular Clause and its relation to the rest of the Bill; but no rule has been laid down either that in every case an hon. Member is entitled to move the postponement, nor has there been any rule laid down that the postponement cannot be moved.

Lord ROBERT CECIL

May I ask whether since 1893 any change has been made by this House in the rules affecting a Motion for the postponement of the first Clause?

Mr. SPEAKER

I would not like to say, without looking back before the year 1895, when I first became responsible for the conduct of proceedings in Committee, but I was not aware that I was making any change when I gave the ruling in the two particular cases which I have in my mind.