§ Mr. REMERMay I ask, Mr. Speaker, whether you have come to any decision as to the number of questions which shall be asked each day by hon. Members?
§ Mr. SPEAKERAs fax as I have been able to ascertain the opinion of the House, it is in favour of retaining the present number of questions permitted, which is three daily. All, therefore, I propose to do at present is to ask hon. Members to use their rights with discretion, and with due consideration to the rights of other Members. It is desirable, I think, 1395 that we should get through a larger number of questions daily, in order that a larger number of Ministers may be brought under review by the House.
Therefore, I wish to ask hon. Members, on the one hand, to exercise what discretion they may in their supplementary questions. On the other hand, I would ask Ministers to follow the practice adopted by some Departments of circulating with the OFFICIAL REPORT their replies when they are necessarily of some length. If these two things be done, I think we shall be able to meet the views of hon. Members.
§ Lieut.-Colonel JAMESIs it not notorious that there are certain hon. Members who ask a large number of supplementary questions, and could you, Mr. Speaker, not have a personal interview with the principal offenders?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI thought the hon. and gallant Member was going to supply me with an instrument of correction.
§ Mr. P. HARRISCould it not be arranged to have the third question put down by an hon. Member at the end of the Paper, and allow the first two to appear earlier on the Order Paper? [HON. MEMBERS: "No!"]
§ Mr. McENTEEIf the Government are going to hold an inquiry into the mentality of certain people, would it be possible for them to extend the same inquiry to the mentality of those who put so many supplementary questions?