HC Deb 17 September 1931 vol 256 cc1032-3
Mr. THURTLE

I gave notice to you earlier, Mr. Speaker, that I wished to raise a point of Order in connection with the right of Members of this House to move the Adjournment of the House. It will be within your recollection that yesterday my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Central Portsmouth (Captain W. G. Hall) asked leave to move the Adjournment of the House in regard to the unrest then prevailing in the Atlantic Fleet. According to Standing Order No. 10, a Member may move the Adjournment of the House on a definite matter of urgent public importance. On reference to Erskine May's "Parliamentary Practice," I find that the Speaker may refuse to accept such a Motion if in his opinion the subject brought forward is not definite, urgent, or of public importance. For our guidance as to the future, when we may wish to bring forward a, similar Motion, I would like you, if you would be good enough, to explain to the House whether you regarded the Motion yesterday as not being definite, or as not being urgent, or as not being of public importance.

Mr. SPEAKER

I have in mind the practice under the Standing Order and the passage to which the hon. Member has referred in Erskine May, and the Ruling which I gave yesterday is one which is specially referred to in Erskine May. The question is not whether the matter is definite, urgent, or of public importance, but whether it would not be better left over, until further information is available, to be discussed, not on that day, but perhaps on the next day or the day after that. There was a Ruling not very long ago in which the Speaker of that time said that he was not prejudiced either one way or the other if the question were raised on a subsequent occasion.

Mr. THURTLE

In the light of that reply, would you explain to the House whether any obligation devolves upon the Chair in such circumstances to see that an early opportunity is provided for the discussion of the matter in question?

Mr. SPEAKER

I think that the hon. Member is mistaken. Even if the Speaker does not allow the Motion to be moved on that occasion, he is not prejudiced in any way from, perhaps, accepting the Motion on a subsequent day.