§ 45. Captain GUNSTONasked the Prime Minister whether he will propose to the House an amendment to Standing Order No. 7 (Questions) to provide some limit on the number of oral questions which may be asked by any Member in one Parliamentary week?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe number of oral questions which Members may ask is limited not by Standing Order but by an arrangement made by Mr. Speaker in 1920 with the general concurrence of the House. If there is any desire for an alteration in the present arrangement, Mr. Speaker may be willing to ascertain the views of the House.
§ Captain GUNSTONWhile thanking the Prime Minister for his answer, may I ask him whether he is aware that considerable resentment is felt by a large section of the House at the fact that, under present conditions, it is possible for an hon. Member to ask the maximum number of inane questions, day by day?
§ Mr. THURTLEIf he is drawing the attention of Mr. Speaker to this matter, will the right hon. Gentleman also draw attention to the desirability of asking Ministers to give more informative answers than are given at present?
§ Mr. DAYMay I ask the Prime Minister to suggest to his followers, that they ought not to table questions asking for statistical information which they can easily obtain in the Library and from official records?
§ Mr. CHARLES WILLIAMSWould it not be possible to have more supplementary questions, if the questions on the Order Paper were fewer in number; and would not that meet with the desires of many people who wish to thresh out matters more thoroughly than is possible at present?