Mr. McKieI rise, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, to make a personal statement, arising out of Division 36, which was on the Scottish Health Service Bill last Tuesday evening. In that Division, in column 1103 of HANSARD, my name is recorded as appearing among the "Ayes." I should like to call your attention to the fact that I was not present in the House that day, or at all last week, as I was in my constituency, carrying out a series of engagements. I would also like to point out that this is the second time in the present Parliament that an accident of this character has occurred. On the last occasion, in the record of Division No. 57, in the first Session in this Parliament, a mistake again arose between my name and that of the hon. Member for Wallsend (Mr. Mackay). It is now a much more serious matter, as the Bill, like much other legislation introduced by this Government, is such as to arouse great controversy. Like many other hon. Members I have been engaged in conversations with the medical and hospital interests in my constituency for many months past. Although an Erratum has been published, many people who are concerned in these matters see the HANSARD only for the day on which 1613 the legislation is before the House, and they do not get a further opportunity of seeing the correction. I, therefore, take this step in order to bring the matter to your notice. I would venture to say to hon. Members opposite, many of whom are new to the ways of this House, that they should be very careful in giving their names to Division Clerks, and should take care to give them clearly. If they did so, I feel that occurrences such as these would not happen as often as they have done in the past. I thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity, and I hope that full publicity will be given to this matter in Scotland.
§ Mr. SpeakerI think that the hon. Member has made his position quite clear. As far as his constituents are concerned, they will now know that he was not present in the House. May I suggest to hon. Members who are Englishmen, like myself, that one of the reasons for such occurrences is that Scottish names, although spelt differently, are sometimes pronounced in the same way? It would be as well, when hon. Members approach the Tellers during a Division, for them to see that the tick is made against the right names. I always used to do that myself, because there were quite a lot of Browns in the House.
§ Mr. BowlesI would like to call your attention to a matter of a similar character, Mr. Speaker. When the hon. Member for Central Bradford (Mr. Webb) got up and said that his name had not been recorded in the Division although he was in the House, I believe you ruled that no alteration was to be made in HANSARD. When, a week later, the right hon. Member for the Scottish Universities (Sir J. Anderson) rose on the same point I believe you said, in reference to his case, that an alteration could be made. I would like to ask whether you could give some direction as to whether the alteration should be made in the following issue of HANSARD, or in the bound volume at the end of the term.
§ Mr. SpeakerI really did not quite follow the point put to me by the hon. Member. Such mistakes usually occur in relation to the Tellers or Division Clerks, and the correction appears in HANSARD next morning, as an Erratum.
§ Mr. BowlesWith great respect, I would say again that the point I am putting is that the hon. Member for 1614 Central Bradford was told that you would not have HANSARD altered next day, while the right hon. Member for the Scottish Universities was told that he could have the correction made. My question is whether the alteration has to wait until the bound volume.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member is in error. I remember the case of the hon. Member for Central Bradford (Mr. Webb). His name was not put in by his Whips, and therefore I ruled as I did. It is the rule that you cannot add your name after a Division has taken place; otherwise there would be no end to it. The hon. Member made his position perfectly clear by raising the matter in the House. I have no knowledge at all of the incident relating to the right hon. Member for the Scottish Universities (Sir J. Anderson), but I am perfectly certain that his name cannot be put into a Division list if he did not vote.