§ Mr. SHEEHYOn a point of Order. I put down a question to the right hon. Gentleman which on the advance Notice Paper was No. 16, and it has apparently been omitted, without my consent. I should like to know whether I may not ask the question of the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI struck out the question because it was practically the same as two or three similar questions which have been answered during the present week. Word for word it was exactly the same.
§ Mr. SHEEHYIn which question asked by my hon. Friend (Mr. King) did he ask what crime had Mrs. Sheehy-Skeffington committed that would justify the Government in excluding her from her own country?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI will procure copies of the questions and send them to the hon. Member if he wishes. I have not got them all in my mind at this moment.
§ Mr. SHEEHYThat question was not put.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI think so.
§ Mr. HOGGEOn the point involved in your ruling, do I understand that if a question is put on the Paper and is similar to another question that has been asked we are not entitled to have that question on the Paper?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI think that that is a very convenient course, and that it saves a waste of paper and of time.
§ Mr. HOGGEI do not object so far as these reasons are concerned. I think that they are right, but the point is, Is a Member of the House entitled to put down a question which he wishes to put down, whether it has been put down before or not, as he may, for instance, wish to raise in Debate a point on the answer, which he is entitled to do? I only ask this as a matter of guidance. I am not challenging it, but I wish to know if it has been put down in a particular form is no other Member entitled to put it down in the same way?
§ Mr. SPEAKERNot for the purpose of obtaining exactly the same information. If there is any difference, by all means—yes.
§ Mr. MORRELLMay I call attention to the fact that no question as to what offence this lady had committed was asked, except one supplementary question which was asked by me, to which no answer was given, and in those circumstances would it not be permissible to ask that question again?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI will look through the questions again, and if there is any difference between them and the question of the hon. Member, I will invite the hon. Member to put his question down.
§ Mr. MOONEYIf a Member puts down a question, is he not entitled to some notice before the question is taken off, or is the only notice which he is to get to be the fact that he does not see it on the Paper?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI am sorry that the hon. Member was not given notice. I know that 1981 that is the usual practice. I will take care that it is followed in the future. I thought that the hon. Member had been given notice in the ordinary way.
§ Mr. MOONEYIs it not the duty of the Clerk at the Table, or whoever censors the question, to inform the hon. Member that the question has been struck out, or can a Member of this House have a question stopped without being told that it is being stopped?
§ Mr. SPEAKERIn this case it was I who instructed the Clerk at the Table to take the question off, when I was looking through the questions; but I quite recognise that if an hon. Member puts a question down and it is not allowed he should be informed that it is not allowed, and I will take care that in future cases Members are so informed.
§ Mr. SHEEHYIt is only now that I have been handed a card from the Clerk at the Table asking me to see him at the Table afterwards. I beg to give notice that in consequence of the way in which this question has been treated by the Ministers having the handling of it I will raise the question on the Adjournment.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe Minister had nothing to do with it. I am the only person responsible for it. I do not suppose that the Minister even knew.
§ Mr. DEVLINI beg to give notice that on the Adjournment we will raise the whole question in relation to the Government, not in reference to your ruling at all, but on the whole merits of the case.
§ Mr. KILBRIDEAre we to understand that if English Members put down a question, concerning Irish matters we are precluded in that case from putting down a question about our own people and about matters that we ourselves are individually concerned in; are we to understand that your ruling means, Sir, that if an intelligent Englishman anticipates a question likely to be put on the Paper by an Irish Member, he can block that Irish Member from putting down the question himself; and are we to understand, Sir, that your ruling now gives an opportunity to certain Members in this House to use your ruling as a precedent to prevent Members on these benches from putting questions in which they are vitally concerned and relating to their own constituencies?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member should not understand anything of the kind. I have said nothing to lead to that understanding.