HC Deb 02 March 1931 vol 249 cc34-6
Sir AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

May I ask, on behalf of my right hon. Friend, a question of which I have given notice to the Prime Minister, namely, what course His Majesty's Government propose to take in relation to the defeat of the Government in Standing Committee C last week?

The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald)

That question must be of very great moment and concern seeing that I was not told it was to be put until five minutes ago, and that the defeat, as it is described, took place last Thursday. So far as I am aware, and so far as reports have come to me, the Committee are still sitting and have been summoned for to-morrow. Therefore, the Committee are going on with their work—

Mr. ERNEST BROWN

To smoke cigarettes!

The PRIME MINISTER

The Committee will meet to-morrow to proceed with their unfinished work.

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

I regret that the right hon. Gentleman received such very scanty notice; I am afraid that it was due to a misunderstanding between my right hon. Friend and myself, each supposing that the other had given notice to the right hon. Gentleman. As regards the substance of his reply, does the right hon. Gentleman mean that the consequences of a defeat on a matter of such importance, and the adoption of an Amendment so strongly resisted on behalf of the Government by the Attorney-General, is a matter for the Committee, to be settled by them and not by the Government and this House?

The PRIME MINISTER

Certainly, until the business is finished. While accepting the right hon. Gentleman's explanation, I must ask the House to excuse me for giving the reply that I have given. Had I received the ordinary notice, I should have been prepared to give a more reasoned reply, but, whatever words I may have chosen for that reply, it would in substance have been the same. The Committee are summoned for to-morrow and are going to proceed with their work at the point at which they left off.

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

Do I understand that the right hon. Gentleman proposes to take no account of the Government defeat, but proposes to continue with the Bill?

The PRIME MINISTER

That does not follow at all. The Committee are considering a particular point on which a Division took place last Thursday.

Mr. LEIF JONES

On a point of Order. Has this House anything to say on what happened in Committee upstairs until it receives a report from that Committee?

Sir K. WOOD rose

—

Mr. SPEAKER

We cannot have two hon. Members on their feet at the same time. Mr. Leif Jones.

Mr. LEIF JONES

I venture to ask this question, because I think it is absolutely essential that the procedure of Committees upstairs should he independent of this House while the Committees are sitting. I submit that it was never intended that this House should review the proceedings of a Committee upstairs until it gets a report from the Committee.

Mr. SPEAKER

I do not think that particular point of Order arises. The question put by the right hon. Gentleman from the Opposition Front Bench was merely asking what the Government were going to do.

Mr. LEIF JONES

The Government having replied that the Committee intend to sit to-morrow, I submit that this House has nothing further to say.

Sir H. O'NEILL

On a point of Order. Suppose that the defeat had taken place in Committee of the Whole House, surely it would then have been competent, before that Committee reported, to consider the matter on the Floor of the House? Is there any reason why, because a defeat takes place in Committee upstairs, it should not equally be taken into consideration on the Floor of the House?

Mr. SPEAKER

It does not matter whether the incident occurs in Committee upstairs, or in Committee of the Whole House, it seems to me that the Opposition are always entitled to ask what the Government are going to do.