§ Mr. GINNELLOn a point of Order. I desire to ask you, Mr. Speaker, by what authority the two notices of Bills which I handed in at the Table yesterday do not appear on the Order Paper to-day?
§ Mr. SPEAKERIt is by an Order of the House which was made at the commencement of this Session on 12th November.
§ Mr. PRINGLEDid that Order not expire on 31st December last?
§ Mr. GINNELLThe Order of the House, as I understood it, extended only to the 31st December.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI will read it. I think that hon. Members will be satisfied that it stands. On 12th November:
Ordered, That no Bills, other than Government Bills, be introduced in anticipation of the Ballot, and no Notices of Motions on going into Committee of Supply be received before 31st December.Hon. Members will see that the limitation of 31st December only applies to notices of Motions on going into Committee of Supply.
§ Mr. GINNELLWith all respect, hon. Members do not see it. The Resolution you have just read is explicit—
§ Mr. SPEAKERHon. Members will see it now that I have pointed it out to them.
§ Mr. GINNELLThe Resolution you have just read extended only to the 31st December, and I want to know under what authority the two Bills, notice of which I handed in yesterday, are omitted from the Order Paper to-day? The Resolution is no authority.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI am afraid it rests with me to interpret the Resolution of the House, and, according to my interpretation, that Resolution is the authority under which the hon. Member's notices were not received; and, again, I repeat that the limitation of 31st December only applied to notices of Motion on going into Committee of Supply. That was why yesterday the notices of Motion on going into Committee of Supply stood first.
§ Mr. GINNELLI desire to raise a question of order and of privilege, inefficient as my state of health renders me for such a task. Owing to this physical disability my statement must be brief to the verge of crudity. I want to bring to your notice and to the notice of the House the fact, plain to every observer, that the constitutional functions and privileges of this House, its authority over its own business, its legislative activity, and therefore its efficiency for the purpose for which it is elected, are controlled more and more every year, and now almost solely, by party caucuses unknown to the Constitution by a Press in the service of those caucuses, and by you, perverting to the service—[HON. MEMBERS: "Order!" and Interruption]—against this House the powers conferred upon you by this House for the maintenance of its functions and privileges against all outside forces. The first immediate cause of my present action—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThis is not the opportunity for the hon. Member to make a speech of this kind. He must wait until a proper Motion is made before the House to which it will be relevant. He does not raise any point of Order now.
§ Mr. GINNELLYes.
§ Mr. SPEAKERWhat is it?
§ Mr. GINNELLI am coming to it. I propose to close with a Motion.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member—
§ Mr. GINNELLDo you not allow [HON. MEMBERS: "Order!"]—a question of order and privilege to be raised? [HON. MEMBERS: "Order!"]
§ Mr. SPEAKERI have decided the question which the hon. Member raised.
§ Mr. GINNELLNo, Sir.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe only point of Order which the hon. Member raised was why the two notices which he handed in had not been received.
§ Mr. GINNELLI have another point of Order in my hand. Will you or will you not allow me to raise it?
§ Mr. SPEAKERIf the hon. Member has any point of Order, of course he may raise it; but he must not make a set speech which is not relevant to any point of Order which he is going to raise.
§ Mr. GINNELLI am going to raise a point of Order and finish with a Motion.
§ Mr. SPEAKERYou cannot do that. If the hon. Gentleman wishes to ask my opinion upon any point of Order, I will certainly give it him, but what is the question which he desires to put?
§ Mr. GINNELLI am going to raise a point of Order, not to ask your opinion. I am going to raise a point of Order and of privilege. Is that in order or not?
§ Mr. SPEAKERWhat is the point which the hon. Member wishes to raise?
§ Mr. GINNELLThe point of privilege is this: The first and immediate cause of my present action is the announcement in Monday's "Westminster Gazette"—and doubtless in many other newspapers, whether as an inspiration from you or as a command to you—that this House would not deal with any remedial domestic legislation, and the significant fact that, before this House has been consulted on that matter, you proceed to enforce that inspiration or command without any Standing Order to support your action. This is an encroachment on the functions and privileges of this House.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member seems to be desirous of making an attack on me.
§ Mr. GINNELLYes.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThen, in accordance with custom, the hon. Member must give notice and put it on the Paper.
§ Mr. GINNELLShall I be in order in making what is certainly an attack on you to-morrow?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is not in order in making it now. If he will put the terms on the Paper, then the House will see what it is and consider when, if ever, it can be taken.
§ Mr. GINNELLI beg to give public notice I will call your conduct in the Chair in question to-morrow.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member must hand in the terms of the Resolution which he proposes to move.
§ Mr. GINNELLAnd have it docketed like the notices I handed in yesterday.
§ Mr. SPEAKERNo; notices axe received; they are not precluded by any Order of the House.