BALLOT FOR BILLS AND MOTIONS. (Hansard, 16 February 1921)

§ Mr. BONAR LAW
I beg to move, That no Bills, other than Government Bills, be introduced in anticipation of the ballot, and that all Members who desire to ballot, whether for Bills or for Motions, for Tuesday, 22nd February, and Tuesday, 1st March, and Wednesday, 23rd February, and Wednesday, 2nd March, do hand in their names at the Table during the sitting of the House on Tuesday, 15th February, or Wednesday, 16th February, and that a copy of the Notice of such Bill or Motion be handed in at the latest during the sitting of the House on Thursday, 17th February. That the ballot for the precedence of the said Bills and Motions be taken on Thursday, 17th February, at a convenient time and place, to be appointed by Mr. Speaker, and that the presentation of Bills on Friday, 18th February, be taken as soon after Twelve of the clock as Mr. Speaker may deem convenient. This Motion, as it appears oil the Paper, is in the exact form adopted before the War, and therefore it is not necessary for me to say anything about that. I think it right, however, to inform the House that, as soon as the Debate on the Address is over, I shall put down, on behalf of the Government, a Resolution taking the whole of the time of the House to the end of the financial year. It would not be in order for me to give my reasons for that, or to discuss it on this Motion, but I understand that there is likely to be some discussion on it when I move the Motion. I think it right, however, to give the House this information, for otherwise those who are fortunate enough to be successful in the ballot, if they were not made aware of it, might choose a day which they would not have chosen had they known the facts. As regards the 102 form of the Motion, I may say that it looks rather cumbersome, as in any case there can be no discussion on Tuesdays or Wednesdays; but I have taken advice, and it is in accordance with precedent, and is the simplest way, having regard to the Standing Orders, to take the Motion in the form in which I now beg to move it.

§ Mr. A. HENDERSON
In view of the statement of the Leader of the House that it is the Government's intention to take all the time up to the end of the financial year, may I ask if it is proposed to preserve the rights of Members by the wording of their Motion; that is to say, will their rights under the ballot be secured by saying that the first Wednesday or Friday, as the case may be, after the termination of the Government allocation, will be given to the Member who obtains the first place in the ballot? I think that that has been done on previous occasions, and I think it is all-important that it should be done now. If it is not done, we may as well not proceed with this ballot.

§ Mr. HOGGE
Before the right hon. Gentleman replies, may I ask whether he will see, as was done last year, that, when private Members' time is taken away, it is restored to private Members between Easter and Whitsuntide? It is a fact that we are entitled to Wednesdays and Fridays between Easter and Whitsuntide for private Members in any event. If the Government take away Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays up to Easter, will they restore the equivalent of that time between Easter and Whitsuntide, and thereby preserve the entire time to which private Members are entitled?

§ Mr. ORMSBY-GORE
Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind the fact that Whitsuntide this year is particularly early, and that, if private Members' time is taken up to the 31st March, the interval between the 31st March and Whitsuntide will be so short that private Members will be shut out of Motions and Bills to an inordinate degree? In view of the fact that the King's Speech contains so little promise of Government legislation, will the right hon. Gentleman give a chance to private Members?

§ Mr. G. TERRELL
Can my right hon. Friend give any indication as to when the Key Industries Bill will be introduced?

Lieut.-Colonel A. MURRAY
Will the right hem. Gentleman in that Motion not deprive private Members of the right to introduce Bills, because there are some private Members' Bills which obtain a Second Reading after 11 o'clock without a Division and go straight upstairs, and it will be very unfair to deprive private Members of the right to introduce those Bills. I hope he will bear that in mind.

§ Mr. BONAR LAW
Most of the questions which have been put to me could be more suitably dealt with when I move the Motion to which they refer, and I am not prepared to deal with them now as it would involve a discussion which would be out of order and would not be desirable. As regards breaking up the time afterwards, that, of course, can, and no doubt will, be raised by the hon. Member on Tuesday, which is the day I hope to make the Motion, but I can hold out no hope that we shall be able to do that. My hon. Friend behind says we have such a small quota of Government legislation that we shall have lots of time for anything else. The number of Bills in the King's Speech is not large, but their importance is great, and I do not anticipate that we shall have any superfluous time. As regards Key Industries, I did not know my hon. Friend had any idea of having it introduced as a private Bill. If so, I should recommend him not to adopt that course. As regards the question of the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Henderson), if I understand it, it is whether or not, should we find—and I shall be very glad if it should prove possible, though I hardly expect it—that we do not need to take all the Fridays up to the end of the financial year, would the hon. Member who gets the first ballot have a right to change for the day he had chosen back to the first date. I do not think that would be either wise or fair. I think he must make the decision which day he will choose, and will have to abide by that.

§ Mr. SPEAKER
In pursuance of the Resolution which has just been passed I have to announce that the ballot will be taken to-morrow at Twelve noon in No. 10 Committee-room.