§ Mr. T. M. HEALYMay I ask a question of Order? I gather, from what the Chancellor of the Exchequer has said, that this is not Budget night, but the first Order of the Day is, A 1. Ways and Means,—Committee." Looking for what "A" is, I find that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is to move Resolutions in Committee of Ways and Means. I wish to ask whether this is normal procedure or whether it is war procedure, and I wish to know whether, when you put the Question that "I do now leave the Chair" it will be debatable, because I think we are entitled to know what are the Resolutions before your leave the Chair. We have heard so many rumours what the Chancellor of the Exchequer is going to do. It is said that he is going to nationalise the breweries.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThere will be no Question put that "I do now leave the Chair." I shall leave the Chair as a matter of course. This is not the first time this Session that I have left the Chair in order that the House may go into Committee of Ways and Means; indeed, there is never any Question put that "I do now leave the Chair" when it is Committee of Ways and Means. I do not know what are the Resolutions. I have not seen them, and I do not know that any unofficial Member has seen them yet. No doubt the Chancellor of the Exchequer will refer to them in his speech in introducing his Bill.
§ Mr. HEALYI understand you to say that this is not the first time this Session that this has been done. I would remind you that in this Session we have conceded everything to the Government. We have not questioned any of their procedure, and we have allowed them to do just as they liked in every respect. For instance, there have been two Committees 863 on one day. If this is only this Session's procedure, which is war procedure, and if the matter to be referred to by the Government be contentious matter in the minds of some, there is a pledge of the Government that nothing which is contentious should be dealt with, and I think we are entitled to know from the Chair whether to treat this Motion as a War Motion or not.
§ Mr. SPEAKERNo, I shall not treat it as a War Motion; it is a perfectly normal Motion. The Committee of Ways and Means stands. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has given notice that when that stage is reached he proposes to move certain Resolutions. That is all perfectly normal. By saying "this is not the first time this Session" I meant that on several previous occasions the Committee of Ways and Means has stood as the Order of the Day, and I have left the Chair without any Question whether I should leave the Chair or not being put. No such Question that "I do now leave the Chair," in fact, is put in order that the House may go into Committee of Ways and Means. It is only when it is going into Committee of Supply that I put the Question.
§ Mr. HEALYIt used to be put. May I remind you of the famous case when Mr. Arthur O'Connor put down a Motion against Mr. Gladstone's Budget.
§ Mr. SPEAKERStanding Order 51 reads:—
Whenever an Order of the Day is read for the House to resolve itself into Committee (not being a Committee to consider a message from the Crown or the Committee of Supply or the Committee on the East India Revenue Accounts) Mr. Speaker shall leave the Chair without putting any question, and the House shall thereupon resolve itself into such Committee unless notice of an Instruction thereto has been given, when such Instruction shall be first disposed of.
§ Mr. HEALYDoes that apply to Committee of Ways and Means? Surely it was never intended to do that.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe Question is never now put that I leave the Chair on Committee of Ways and Means. It is only put on Committee of Supply.