BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 9 March 1916)

§ Colonel LOCKWOOD
Can the Prime Minister tell us the course of business for next week?

§ Mr. R. McNEILL
May I take the opportunity afforded by this Motion to make a request to the Prime Minister which I think he will regard as reasonable, and which I believe very many Members will support? The right hon. Gentleman has been good enough to give special facilities for our giving notice of questions to Ministers under the procedure at present obtaining, while we are only sitting three days a week. He will see that owing to the very few sittings of the House, questions sometimes are very numerous. To-day there are 142 questions on the list. Owing to the few sittings of the House the number of questions of public interest which hon. Members desire to bring before the notice of the Government must necessarily be large. The request I have to make is that while the present procedure is continued, and we are sitting only three days a week, will it not be possible for the right hon. Gentleman to propose a temporary Amendment of the Standing Orders, which would enable questions to be continued until four o'clock, and would give us another fifteen minutes? That concession would not take every much from the time of the House for other business, but it is probable that the extra fifteen minutes would enable the questions to be got through.

§ Mr. ASHLEY
I would like to put another matter to the right hon. Gentleman. The point has been conceded that we may send in questions on a Monday to be answered on Wednesday. Could not 1752 that be amended so that Notices of Motion for reduction of Votes could also be received on Monday? I understand from the Clerk at the Table that they cannot be received by post, but have to be personally handed in. If one thinks of something on Saturday night, it would be a great convenience if it could be sent in by post on Monday for Tuesday.

§ Mr. ROCH
Will the Prime Minister bear in mind the question of moratorium, or some form of relief for men called up for service, as the matter is becoming a very pressing one?

§ Mr. SPEAKER
That question is not permissible. We are now dealing with the Question, that the House, at its rising, do adjourn until Tuesday next.

§ Mr. ROCH
May I point out that my object was to suggest that we should not adjourn until Tuesday, but that, as Monday is apparently a free day, possibly we might get a discussion on the question of the moratorium, and hear what are the Government's views. That was the sole object of my rising.

§ Sir A. MARKHAM
If the House will agree to give up this extra day, will the right hon. Gentleman carry out his pledge to the House, and see that when important Estimates are before the House Ministers should be in attendance? Yesterday Ministers made their speeches, went out, and we saw nothing more of them.

§ Mr. SPEAKER
That does not arise on this Motion.

§ The PRIME MINISTER
With respect to the point raised by the hon. Gentleman (Mr. R. McNeill), I may state that although we have 142 questions to-day, there were only seventy-nine yesterday. There is a very unequal distribution as between the three days. I think it would be better if we could equalise the number of questions for the various days. I will consider the matter, and also the point raised by the hon. Member (Mr. Ashley). With respect to what my hon. Friend (Mr. Roch) has said, I do not think it is desirable to meet on Monday in order to have an academic discussion. The Government are very carefully considering the matter, and in due course will announce their decision.

§ Sir A. MARKHAM
What about Ministers?