§ Mr. CHURCHILLI desire to raise a point of Order. I asked leave yesterday to put the following question by Private Notice as a matter of urgency:
To ask the Secretary of State for India whether a committee of Indians is being invited by the Goernment to participate, in a consultative capacity or otherwise, in the work of the Joint Committee of both Houses shortly to be set up, and whether he can assure the House that he will in no way prejudice, by the form of the invitation, the decision of either House of Parliament upon the method of consultation or the status of such Indian nominees in relation to the Joint Committee.I understand that you, Sir, have disallowed this as a Private Notice question. May I ask for your Ruling for the guidance of the House as to the grounds for such disallowance?
§ Mr. SPEAKERIt is not usual for an hon. Member to ask me a point of Order regarding a question which I have disallowed. As the right hon. Gentleman has said that he has asked me as a matter for the guidance of the House, I can but answer in that spirit, but I hope that it will be for the guidance of the House. The House, I think, is very well aware of the Rules which govern questions and the Rules which govern questions which are submitted by Private Notice. It is always for me to be the judge as to whether I consider questions submitted to me by Private Notice to be of sufficient urgency to be asked by that means and not put upon the Paper in the ordinary way. I came to the conclusion, after carefully considering the question which the right hon. Gentleman submitted to me, that it might equally well be put upon the Paper in the ordinary way and answered in the ordinary way on Monday.
§ Mr. CHURCHILLFurther to the point of Order, and upon the question of urgency, may I most respectfully submit that this question raises considerable constitutional issues, and, if invitations are actually at this moment being issued to Indian nominees to participate in a conference, it is surely most important that they should not be issued under a misapprehension as to what Parliament may ultimately decide as to the status of these Indian nominees, or otherwise grave inconvenience and even disappointment may arise at a later stage.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI am not prepared to argue the urgency of this question. I came to the conclusion, which I still hold, that the question could have been put upon the Paper in the ordinary way.
§ Mr. CHURCHILLNaturally, Sir, I bow to your Ruling.
§ NEW MEMBER SWORN.
§ William Dobbie, esquire, for the Borough of Rotherham.
§ STANDING COMMITTEES.
§ Ordered, "That all Standing Committees have leave to print and circulate with the Votes the Minutes of their Proceedings and any amended Clauses of the Bills committed to them."—[Sir Cyril Cobb.]
§ PROTECTION OF ANIMALS
(AMENDMENT) BILL.
§ Order for Second Reading upon Friday, 10th March, read, and discharged; Bill withdrawn.