§ The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Asquith)I beg to move, "That on every day on which the House sits until the 31st day of December—
I said yesterday that I would make this Motion for a time limit to-day, if not on Friday. I find it is necessary to make it to-day, and perhaps the House will allow me to make it now. It is a necessary formality. I am sure it will be in consonance with the general opinion, and for the general convenience of the House.
- (1) Government Business do have precedence;
40 - (2) At the conclusion of Government Business Mr. Speaker shall propose the Question, "That this House do now adjourn,' and, if that Question shall not have been agreed to, Mr. Speaker shall adjourn the House without Question put not later than half an hour after the conclusion of Government Business; and
- (3) If the day be a Friday the House, unless it otherwise resolves, shall at its rising stand adjourned until the following Monday."
§ Mr. T. M. HEALYI wish to ask a question of the Prime Minister. He announced yesterday that it was intended to take certain emergency Bills. Of course, it is a matter of extreme interest and importance to the House, and I would ask whether in regard to these Bills we shall have some more notice than we had in the last Session of Parliament? I can assure him that the draftsmen of these Bills have not had that consideration for the position of the Laws of Ireland which is desirable. If I were disposed I could make an observation in respect of one of the most important of these Acts which I am afraid might have a tendency I do not desire. Therefore, I do think, with every respect to those charged with the important duty of looking to the defence of the realm, that it is desirable that others who have hitherto had some acquaintance with the law between the two countries should have some opportunity of making observations not in the least with a view to embarrassing the Government, but rather with a view to their assistance.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI think that the grievance of the hon. Member is a perfectly legitimate one, and I will take care, as far as I can, subject to some exceptional and unforseen emergency, that due time shall be given for the consideration of these Bills. I might point out that one of the most urgent affects ourselves. It appears to be the law that Members who accept Commissions under the Crown accept offices of profit and vacate their seats. Therefore, it is of the highest 41 importance that at the earliest possible moment we should put that matter right and by Act of Parliament provide that they shall be deemed not to have vacated their seats and should be allowed to sit without danger.
§ Mr. JAMES HOGGEBefore we agree to this Resolution we ought to be quite sure that private Members of this House are given sufficient time to raise the many questions in which they are interested. If you look at the terms of the Prime Minister's Motion, you will see that if we agree to it unanimously to-day it practically means that every day up to Christmas or such days as we meet between now and Christmas there would be only half an hour left to Members of this House to raise questions of public interest. If we were going on in the ordinary way the Government business would be over soon in the afternoon, and the remainder of the day until eleven o'clock would be left to private Members to bring forward items of interest not only to the House but also to the country. There are a very large number of those questions just now which many of us are desirous of raising. None of us, of course, wish in any way to embarrass the Government, but at the same time it does seem to me to limit very severely the opportunities for raising public questions if we are to be every day restricted to one half-hour. I wondered whether the Prime Minister could not extend it a little further. Members will recollect that when a private Member of this House raises a question of public importance on the adjournment — I have frequently heard questions raised by members of the Opposition; sometimes Members want to raise different points—it cannot always be done in half-an-hour; and, while I do not want the Government to extend the time so that any of us can raise all sorts of questions, yet I do plead with the Prime Minister that he should give us the maximum amount of time which will enable us to raise several of these questions with a reasonable opportunity for debate. If the Prime Minister could do that, he would certainly be meeting the convenience of a great number of Members of this House, and I very much hope, therefore, that he will be able to see his way to do it.
§ Mr. GINNELLThe hon. Member who has just spoken has expressed great sympathy with the private Member, whoever 42 he may be. I do not apply that expression to myself, because there is no private Member in this House to my knowledge. We are all equally with the Prime Minister and with yourself duly elected according to the law of the land. We are official and unofficial; not otherwise private. This anxiety about the rights of private Members comes rather late in the day now when private Members have been so grossly trifled with as they have been during the last eight or nine years. Not alone does the Prime Minister propose to limit the rights of private Members—the rights of the entire community they represent in this House to a nominal thirty minutes, but he and his Whips, and the Leaders of the Opposition and their Whips, will take care that, when any unofficial Member has anything to raise before this House, no matter how important it is, no matter how many be concerned or how vitally it concerns them, these Whips, with the knowledge of Mr. Speaker, take care there shall not be forty Members here to listen to us, and, instead of thirty minutes, we have not three minutes under the Prime Minister's proposed scheme. The fact is that this House, under your Chairmanship, Mr. Speaker, has been conducted on an elaborate system of fiction—fiction in regard to both the laws of the land and of this House. Care is taken that neither night, noon nor morning shall we bring forward anything that may, for any petty party reason, be displeasing to Gentlemen on either Front Bench. I shall oppose this Motion, no matter how little support I may get or whether I get any at all. I shall, of course, be bound to oppose both Notices on the Paper, and I cannot sit down without telling you that you have, with reference to the Notice I handed in at the Table, exceeded your powers and rights.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is not relevant to the Motion before the House.
§ Mr. GINNELLIt is true, all the same.
§ Sir JOHN JARDINEOn behalf of Members connected with India, and especially as at this time India is so much concerned with regard to the Army, I have to say we would accede to this Motion with greater pleasure if we were informed that the usual Debate on Indian affairs, which we have once a year, will come within the Government business to which this Resolution applies.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI will consider that. In reply to what has been said by the hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Ginnell), I have to say that this Motion does not preclude the ordinary Motion for Adjournment on a definite question of urgent public importance.
§ Mr. GINNELLBeyond thirty minutes.
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe ordinary Motion for the Adjournment of the House can be supported by any number of Members, and that will not be interfered with. In reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh (Mr. Hogge), I can only say what I have said before, that if there is, in regard to any particular question, anything in the nature of a general desire for a period exceeding half an hour, the Government will be prepared to move the adjournment between the Government Orders to enable that to be done.
§ Question put, and agreed to.