HC Deb 24 May 1921 vol 142 cc118-20

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House do now adjourn."—(Lieut.-Colonel Leslie Wilson.)

Mr. HOGGE

What is the re-arrangement of business? Is it a fact that the Railways Bill is not to be taken on Friday?

Colonel LESLIE WILSON (Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury)

Will my hon. Friend put a question to the Leader of the House to-morrow on that point? There has been strong representations made that the Railways Bill should not be taken on Friday, but I have not yet had an opportunity of seeing the Leader of the House, and I should not now like to give a definite reply.

Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY

I do not know why we should adjourn now, with Private Business on the Paper. The hon. Member for Central Portsmouth (Sir T. Bramsdon) has a Bill down—the Coroners (Remuneration) Bill—which I believe the Government are in favour of. The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury did give up the practice of adjourning the House before Whitsuntide when there was time left for private Members' Bills, and I hope he is not going back on that to the extent of adjourning the House whenever the Government business has been gone through, and thus deprive private Members of their rights, which are being more and more encroached upon. I think the hon. and gallant Gentleman will be the first to admit that some of the private Bills that have gone through this Session have been extremely valuable. Is it possible for the Adjournment Motion to be withdrawn? I think hon. Members opposite might support us in standing up for the rights of private Members, for otherwise the Government will take away the whole of those rights. They break their pledges to deal with grave matters of public importance, because they say that Parliamentary time will not permit, yet here we are proposing to adjourn at a very early hour.

Colonel WILSON

I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that we have no desire to deprive private Members of their time, and in regard to the Bill which he has mentioned, it is, I understand, non-contentious, and I hope there will be an opportunity to take it at 11 to-morrow. I must remind my hon. and gallant Friend that to-day is an allotted day for Supply, and if any other business were taken to-day, the Supply Day would be lost. In view of the time available for Parliamentary business, it is not possible to allow this day to be lost in that way.

Mr. ACLAND

On the understanding that there will be an opportunity for the private Member's Bill in question to be taken after 11 to-morrow, I think we might all now go home.

Question put, and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-five minutes before Eight o'clock.