§ Mr. Wedgwood BennI wish to raise a question of Privilege and I believe I must do it now at the very earliest possible moment. I ask also for no ruling, Sir; nor, indeed, will I enter into details to-day. The only reason I raise the matter 774 now is that I believe these matters must be raised the very moment they occur or appear to occur. The point I desire to put and to ask for your ruling on at your convenience is respecting a claim which appears to have been made elsewhere that another place has the right to initiate Measures of Supply and to compel the Government by its vote to introduce Estimates into this House. That is broadly the point, and I ask if you will kindly consider it and adjudicate upon it between now and the time when I can put the point more fully.
Mr. Deputy-SpeakerThe right hon. Gentleman probably knows that this is the first I have heard of it.
§ Mr. BennYes, I apologise. I sought you this morning, but I was too late, because you had already entered on your official duties.
Mr. Deputy-SpeakerI am making no complaint whatever and quite understand that the right hon. Gentleman had no opportunity of giving me any notice. But the fact is that I know nothing whatever about the incident except what the right hon. Gentleman has just said. The right hon. Gentleman is right when he says that a question of this kind has to be raised at the earliest possible moment. It is obviously, in these circumstances, quite impossible for me to deal with it now. I can only say that the right hon. Gentleman has saved his position, and that if he will give further particulars I will take them into consideration.