HC Deb 11 November 1931 vol 259 cc117-8
Mr. BALDWIN

I beg to move, That no Notice of Amendment on going into Committee of Supply be given until after the Adjournment of the House for Christmas. I should be the last to deny that a plausible case could not be made against the Motion of which the House has just disposed, but this Motion is purely formal and refers to one special form of ballot. I will give the reasons why we propose to postpone it in accordance with what has been the usual practice. In March when the House goes into Committee of Supply on the Navy and Army Estimates, and on the Air and Civil Service Estimates, the Motion to go into Supply is always preceded by an Amendment, by four Amendments, and hon. Members to whom the duty of moving those Amendments is entrusted are selected by the fortunes of the ballot. It is solely with that ballot that this Motion deals. It is the practice when the House meets at this time of the year to postpone the ballot which would otherwise take place now to a time when the House re- assembles after the Christmas Recess, and the reason for that is that within the period of a month or six weeks before the Estimates come before the House hon. Members have an opportunity of including in their Amendments the freshest and newest subjects which may have arisen in that time, and which they may desire to raise on the Navy and Army Estimates on the Air Estimates or on the Civil Service Estimates. That is the sole reason for this Motion, and I hope the House will feel that it is not an unreasonable thing to ask and will permit it to go through.

Mr. LANSBURY

For the reasons which the right hon. Gentleman has given, we certainly shall not object to the Motion.

Mr. MAXTON

For similar reasons, we will not divide the House on this subject.

Ordered, That no Notice of Amendment on going into Committee of Supply be given until after the Adjournment of the House for Christmas.