HC Deb 30 July 1946 vol 426 cc782-4
Mr. Churchill

May I draw your attention. Sir, to the fact that we have not even reached the Prime Minister's Questions today?

Mr. Speaker

I have noticed it. I was letting them run, and we had a lot of supplementaries. We cannot have both. Either we have lots of supplementaries and very few Questions, or more Questions and fewer supplementaries. I change from one to the other sometimes.

Mr. Churchill

Would it not be really more in accordance with the needs of the House if a quarter of an hour were added to Question time?

Mr. Speaker

That is not a matter for me to decide. It is a matter for the Government and the House itself.

Mr. Stokes

On a point of Order. In view of the fact that the Question deals with the life of a man, and that there will be no possibility of raising the matter again until October, may I ask your leave, and the permission of the House, to ask Question 51: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Whether his attention has been called to the sentence of death, passed on a 23-year old German youth by a military court at Hanover for displaying a portrait of Hitler on 1st May; and whether he will have this sentence quashed.

Mr. Speaker

No, I cannot make exceptions, and I cannot really see that whether a Question is or is not answered affects the life of a man.

Sir T. Moore

On a point of Order. I wish to ask whether this very interesting and enjoyable Question hour was due to the approach of the holidays?

Mr. Speaker

I thought that we might have a little bit of the holiday feeling.

Mr. Churchill

If you wish to allow Question 51 to be asked, I do not think any objection would be raised.

Hon. Members

No.

Mr. Speaker

In any case, the hon. Member for Ipswich (Mr. Stokes) might postpone the Question until tomorrow, or Thursday.

Mr. Stokes

If it is postponed to tomorrow or Thursday, I still shall not get an answer.

Mr. Speaker

I think the hon. Gentleman is mistaken, because the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster answers directly after the Prime Minister, and we assume that tomorrow and Thursday, on both days, we will get to the Prime Minister's Questions.

Mr. Stokes

I will postpone the Question until tomorrow.