BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 7 December 1939)

§ Mr. Attlee
May I ask the Prime Minister to state the business for next week?

§ The Prime Minister
The business for next week will be:
Tuesday—The Secretary of State for Air will make a statement on a Motion for the Adjournment. Committee and remaining stages of the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill, and of the Postponement of Enactments (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill; consideration of a Motion to approve the amended Unemployment Assistance Regulations.
Wednesday—Arrangements will be made for a Secret Sitting to consider the organisation of Supplies.
824 Thursday—The House will meet at 12 noon, and questions will be taken.
The Motion for the Christmas Recess will be proposed and afterwards I shall make a statement on the Adjournment.
The Government will propose that the House should reassemble after the Christmas Recess on Tuesday, 16th January.
The Resolution of 30th November empowers Mr. Speaker to call the House together at an earlier date during the Recess, if, after consultation with the Government, such a course appears necessary in the public interest.

§ Mr. Denman
Regarding the Secret Sitting next Wednesday, will the Motion that strangers do withdraw be left to the free Vote of the House?

§ The Prime Minister
Yes, Sir, certainly.

§ Mr. Maxton
Is it proposed that at the Secret Sitting there should be a Motion discussed, with the possibility of a Division on the subject under discussion?

§ The Prime Minister
It is intended that the discussion shall take place on a Motion for the Adjournment.

Viscountess Astor
Does anybody in his senses think it could be possible to have a Secret Sitting of the House when you cannot have a secret meeting in a Committee room?

§ Sir Archibald Sinclair
If I may say so, I rather think there is a misapprehension about the answers which the Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member for Central Leeds (Mr. Denman) and the hon. Member for Bridgeton (Mr. Maxton). Did I understand the Prime Minister as saying that there would be a discussion on the Motion that strangers do withdraw, and that it would be left to the free Vote of the House?

§ The Prime Minister
No, Sir. I did not say that.

§ Sir A. Sinclair
I think the House understood that.

Hon. Members
"No" and "Yes."

§ Mr. McGovern
Might I ask the Prime Minister whether there is general agreement in the House that there will be no secrecy about this Secret Sitting?

§ Sir A. Sinclair
Would the Prime Minister kindly clear up the point which I raised?

§ The Prime Minister
I understood that my hon. Friend asked whether there would be a free Vote on the Motion that strangers do withdraw, and I said "Yes" to that.

§ Sir A. Sinclair
And a discussion?

Hon. Members
No.

§ Mr. Ammon
Why cannot we have a discussion?

§ Mr. Speaker
Is the right hon. Member going to suggest what the procedure should be?

§ Mr. Lees-Smith
I was going to put a point to the Prime Minister. Standing Order 89 states: It at any sitting of the House, or in Committee, any Member shall take notice that strangers are present, Mr. Speaker, or the Chairman (as the case may be), shall forthwith put the Question, 'That strangers be ordered to withdraw,' without permitting any debate or Amendment.

§ Mr. Speaker
I understand that, after that Motion has been disposed of, there must be another Motion, "That there be a Secret Sitting," which will be open to Debate.

§ Sir A. Sinclair
Then there will be a discussion. That is very important. Do we understand that there will be a discussion on the second Motion and there will he a free vote on both subjects, and a Division? This discussion may take quite a long time.

§ The Prime Minister
The righť hon. Gentleman will appreciate that I cannot prevent there being a discussion. All that I said was that there would be a free Vote on thať particular subject.

§ Mr. Mander
I want to get this position perfectly clear, because I think the House does not understand it now. With regard to the firsť Motion that strangers withdraw, I understand it is to be left to the free Vote of the House and that the Government Whips will noť be put on. Therefore, Government Members may decide not to have a Secret Sitting at all, and that does not seem to be a situation that hon. Members on this side of the House contemplated at all.

§ Miss Wilkinson
In the circumstances, would the Prime Minister say whether he has any knowledge of any movement in his own party to prevent a Secret Sitťing by this backdoor method?

§ The Prime Minister
No, Sir.

§ Mr. Attlee
I do not quite understand the right hon. Gentleman's reply. I understood, when the point was put to him, that the Government had come to the conclusion that there should be a Secret Sitting. I concluded from that that on a Vote, if there were a Vote, the Government, having taken that line, would naturally see that the House did get a Secret Sitting.

Hon. Members
No!

§ The Prime Minister
There is no question about thať Mr. Speaker has pointed out that there will have to be a Motion, "That there be a Secret Sitting," and the Government Whips will be put on for that.

§ Mr. Denman
On this same point may I ask the Government wheťher, if the decision on the first Motion be that strangers do not withdraw, there will then be no possibility of the Secret Sitting, because it will not be possible thereafter to renew the Motion ťhat strangers do withdraw?

§ Mr. Mander
Is it not clear from what has been said here that there will not be a Secret Sitting? After all the promises thať have been made, it is a pure farce. There is no intention of having a Secreť Sitting at all.

§ Mr. McEntee
Is it not a fact that the Prime Minister promised lasť week that there would be a Secret Sitting? If he looks at his own reply I think he will see that he did. In view of that fact, what is meanť by taking a Vote which would prevent a Secret Sitting?

§ The Prime Minister
There is no intention on the part of the Government to go back on any undertaking which they have given. My hon. Friend put a question to me without any notice, and I did not at the moment appreciate what the possible consequences might be. I wish to make it clear that there is no collusion between him and me, and no intention to go back on the promise.

§ Mr. Holdsworth
In order to carry out what, after all, has been a promise that there should be a Secret Sitting, would it not be better to put on the Whips on the first Motion?

§ Sir A. Sinclair
When the Prime Minister says it was unfortunate that his hon. Friend put his question so quickly without previous notice to him, and so forth, does that mean that the right hon. Gentleman wants a little time to consider this question whether the Whips should be put on, on this first Motion? The House is being left without the guidance which it is entitled to expect from the Leader of the House.

§ The Prime Minister
I thought that the right hon. Gentleman was satisfied with what I have already said.

§ Sir S. Reed
Do we understand that this House is not to be the judge of its own procedure?