CONDUCT OF DEBATE. (Hansard, 23 November 1932)

§ Mr. LANSBURY
I wish to say, on the question that was raised by my interjection when the right hon. and gallant Gentleman was making a statement of very great importance, that I think that we who sit here had a right to ask for information as he went along. I have never known yet that anyone occupying the position that I hold has been considered out of Order in asking a Minister who was making an important statement 212 to explain a little more fully what that statement meant. It is nothing to do with us that the right hon. and gallant Gentleman made his statement at the end of his speech; it might have been made at the beginning, when there would have been time to do what is quite usual, that is to say, for the Leader of the Opposition to ask for information.
I cannot sit here, and I do not intend to sit here, and submit to any other treatment, either from you, Mr. Speaker, or from Ministers, than would be conceded to any other Leader of the Opposition. I am not going to be told that I continuously interrupt or interject. I do no such thing. I spoke in this House yesterday, and I should think that I was interrupted at least a dozen times and no notice was taken. I do not complain of that at all. It is your judgment, Mr. Speaker, when you should interfere, and I do not want to interfere with that judgment, but I do want to say that I have a right to ask on behalf of the Opposition, small as we are, that a Minister, when he is making a statement, shall give us information.
I have the right to expect to be treated in the same courteous manner as any other Leader of the Opposition is treated. I feel bound to say that. The right hon. and gallant Gentleman may have felt that time was slipping away, but I repeat that that was not my fault, and no one in the House has any right to complain of my asking for an explanation as to what the Commission to which the right hon. and gallant Gentleman was referring was going to do. When I asked him for the information, he was passing on to something else, and I felt that I had a right to ask him about it. While I occupy this position, I shall exercise the right of doing what every Minister does when one of us is speaking and he wishes to get a point made plain, and which every other Leader of the Opposition has done, that is, to ask the Minister to explain a point. I have a right to get a decent and courteous answer. The right hon. Gentleman apologised for what he considered I might think was wrong in what he had done. I accept that wholeheartedly. I got up only to make quite clear that I shall not abdicate the right of asking a Minister to explain a statement, and also that I shall not consider that I am interrupt 213 ing him in a disorderly manner when I do so. Neither shall I consider that I am doing wrong in at any time asking the Minister what I asked the right hon. and gallant Gentleman just now.

§ Mr. SPEAKER
I think that the right hon. Gentleman is appealing to me. I want to point out to him that I have allowed him to make that speech, but that it is really a direct complaint as to my behaviour with regard to him. I must call his attention to the fact that that is entirely out of order, and that, if he has any complaint to make as to my conduct in the Chair, he must put it down as a 214 substantive Motion on the Paper, and the Motion can be debated at the proper time.

§ Mr. LANSBURY
I should think it is much better, if I have anything to say, that I should say it at the moment rather than in the other way.

§ Mr. SPEAKER
That is not the point. The Rules of this House say that any complaints that are made as to the conduct of the Chair shall be put down as a Motion for Debate at the proper time.