§ Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERMay I ask for your guidance, Mr. Speaker, on a matter which is a Parliamentary one? The Minister of Health laid on the Table of the House on the 5th December a very long set of regulations—National Health Insurance, Medical Benefit (Consolidated) Regulations. It has to be laid for 21 Parliamentary days. It is not a Command Paper. Up to the present no Member of the public is able to obtain a copy from the Stationery Office, and on inquiry I am told that it cannot be ready for printing until the 17th December. I want to ask whether in the circumstances you could advise that in a case of this kind that the Paper should be re-laid so that Members can have an adequate opportunity of examining lengthy regulations of 70 pages and so be able to exercise properly and fully their Parliamentary privilege?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI understand that it was held by my predecessors that the days count from the day on which it is available to hon. Members.
§ Mr. ALEXANDERIt is a matter of principle. It has been said on previous occasions that if a copy is filed in the Library it is available for Members, but I submit that when you are dealing with Consolidated Regulations of 70 pages, and there is only one copy filed in the Library, not a Command Paper for hon. Members to consult, that it is an impossibility for the parliamentary privilege of revision during the 21 days to be exercised.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe 21 days count when the full copy is available for hon. Members in the Library.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYDo they count if one copy is available, or is it your ruling that a copy must be available For all hon. Members in the Vote Office?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat would be so. When the copy is available.