HC Deb 18 July 1935 vol 304 cc1229-32
Mr. MANDER

I desire to ask you, Mr. Speaker, to give a Ruling on the following point, namely, whether it is in order to hand in questions at the Table in order that they may appear on the Paper addressed to the Minister for League of Nations Affairs, on matters concerning the League of Nations, or addressed to the Noble Lord the Member for Hastings (Lord E. Percy) regarding such matters as may from time to time be allotted to him?

Mr. SPEAKER

I am not quite sure whether the hon. Member is asking me merely that I should give directions that questions handed in at the Table addressed to the Minister for League of Nations Affairs, should be printed on the Order Paper as addressed to that Minister.

Mr. MANDER

Yes, Sir.

Mr. SPEAKER

If that is what the hon. Member requires I do not think it would really help him because at the present moment the Government have, in practice, the right of directing that a question, after it has appeared on the Paper, should be transferred from one Minister to another Minister who is, in their view, responsible, provided that they notify the Member who is asking the question of their intention. That is the first consideration. Nor is there anything to prevent one Minister answering a question on behalf of another Minister to whom the question, as printed on the Paper, is addressed. If the hon. Member's request is that I should give directions that questions which, in his view, are properly addressed to the Minister for League of Nations Affairs, should not only be printed as addressed to that Minister but should also be answered by him, then I am afraid that is a request which ought not to be made to me but rather to the Leader of the House. The same considerations apply to the latter part of the hon. Member's question with regard to questions addressed to the Noble Lord the Member for Hastings (Lord E. Percy).

Mr. MANDER

Then I understand from that, Sir, that questions addressed to the Minister for League of Nations Affairs on League of Nations matters will be so printed on the Paper, although they may be answered by somebody else?

Mr. SPEAKER

Questions which Members wish to have answered by the Minister for League of Nations Affairs ought to be put down to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. If, as I explained yesterday, the question relates to matters for which the Minister for League of Nations Affairs is responsible, he will, if he is available, answer the question.

Sir HERBERT SAMUEL

Is there not a certain anomaly in the fact that a Minister has been appointed under the title of Minister for League of Nations Affairs, whose salary has been voted by this House and yet no Member is allowed, as a matter of right, to place on the Order Paper a question addressed to that Minister?

Mr. SPEAKER

I tried to explain in the second part of my answer to the hon. Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander) that if hon. Members wish to raise that question they ought to ask the Leader of the House and not me. That is a matter for arrangement between the Government offices.

Mr. MORGAN JONES

Is it not the right of Members of this House to put down questions to a Minister in respect of whom there is a certain salary and who is to have an Under-Secretary as well? Have we not the right of putting a question down to that particular Minister? Whether it is transferred to a different Minister is another matter.

Mr. SPEAKER

As I have said, that is not a matter for me but for the Leader of the House. There are many Ministers who have salaries and are connected with Government Departments, such as Under-Secretaries, who answer questions which are put to the head of the Department.

Mr. NEIL MACLEAN

But is not that the whole point—that the Minister for League of Nations Affairs is a Cabinet Minister, whereas Under-Secretaries are not in the Cabinet?

Mr. SPEAKER

I do not think that makes such difference, as he is not the head of the Department.

Sir AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

May I, on your suggestion, Sir, put a question to the Prime Minister? May I ask whether he will arrange that the Minister for League of Nations Affairs shall answer questions addressed to him in this House, as other Cabinet Ministers do, in relation to the Departments with which they are concerned?

The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Baldwin)

I was not expecting that a question would be addressed to me personally, but I will certainly look into that question myself, and I hope to be able to give a satisfactory answer to the right hon. Gentleman.

Mr. McENTEE

If it is the case that the Government, or the Prime Minister, has the right to say whether or not this new Minister for League of Nations Affairs is to be asked questions in the House, would there not be an equal right with regard to other Ministers? If so, would it not be possible for us to be placed in the position of not being able to address questions to any Minister, if the Government should so determine?

Mr. SPEAKER

It is impossible for me to deal with a question of that sort. As I have said, in practice questions which have been addressed to one Minister may be answered by another Minister and that is a matter for the Government to determine.

Mr. McENTEE

I understood you to say, Sir, that it was for the Prime Minister to determine whether questions should be put on the Paper addressed to the Minister for League of Nations Affairs. If the Prime Minister can determine that in the case of one Cabinet Minister, is he not in a position to determine the same thing in regard to every other Cabinet Minister; and, if so, would it not lead to Members being unable to put questions to any Minister?

Mr. SPEAKER

I think the hon. Member is basing his question on a supposition which would render the whole matter ridiculous.

Mr. WILMOT

Could you, Mr. Speaker, give directions as to how hon. Members should address questions concerning the duties of the Noble Lord the Member for Hastings (Lord E. Percy)?

Mr. SPEAKER

I referred to that in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander), that the same consideration as regards the Leader of the House applies to the latter part of the hon. Member's question with regard to questions addressed to the Noble Lord the Member for Hastings.