§ Mr. BILLINGAt 11 o'clock this morning I sent to the Prime Minister a Private Notice Question on a matter of urgent public importance. It refers to the Treasury. May I ask that question now, as it deals with the loaning by the Treasury of large sums of money at 6 per cent, to public authorities, and the money being borrowed back by the Treasury at 6½ per cent.?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI considered the hon. Member's question as soon as I received it, as to whether it was urgent or not. I consulted the Department and, after hearing from the Department, I came to the conclusion that it was not an urgent matter and might well appear on the Paper on Monday.
§ Mr. BILLINGAre we to understand that when a Department transgresses gravely the common laws of finance, the Department is to be the court of appeal as to whether a matter is urgent or not, and are we to understand from your ruling that the matter of losing one half per cent, on £100,000,000 is not a question of any public urgency for the Government of the day?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member must not understand either of those things.
§ Major WATTS MORGANOwing to the growing importance of questions to the Minister of Food, especially with regard to bread, is it possible to change the rota, and for the Questions to appear earlier in the list on Tuesdays, or, as an alternative, can an additional day be given for such questions?
§ Mr. SPEAKERWill the hon. and gallant Gentleman consult the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Edmund Talbot) as to the re-arrangement he may desire of any questions?