GOVERNMENT BUSINESS (PRECEDENCE) (Hansard, 7 March 1950)

§ The Lord President of the Council (Mr. Herbert Morrison)
I beg to move, That until the Adjournment of the House for Easter Government Business shall have precedence at every Sitting, and that no Bills other than Government Bills be introduced in anticipation of the ballot. I think the House will recall that the Prime Minister explained yesterday that business of one kind and another, very much of it financial business, will fully occupy the House between now and Easter, with the exception, so far as I can" see, of two Fridays. I could give the House the particulars if they were desired, but I think that from the statement made by my right hon. Friend yesterday the House will be seized of the position. That position we just cannot help: that is the situation. I am afraid that it is inevitable that we should take all the time for Government Business up to the Easter Recess.
My right hon. Friend suggested to the House yesterday that there might be talks between the Government and representatives of the Opposition parties with a view to considering the series of problems that arises in this somewhat short Session and the best use of the time of the House after Easter. There is the question of Private Members' time, and there is the matter of the desire which the last House expressed and with which I have great sympathy, namely, the desire for reasonably adequate Debates from time to time on the socialised industries and their working, and there is always the possibility of a request for a special Debate on some subject or another. I think that the best thing we could do would he to go into conference between the Government and the Opposition parties as soon as possible on this problem that faces us. I hope the House will be agreeable to that course, which will prejudice nobody at this stage. I am afraid it is inevitable that we have to take the time of the House until Easter, and for that reason I submit the Motion.

§ Mr. Eden (Warwick and Leamington)
I think one has to admit that, in the special circumstances of the date of the General Election, any Government elected at the present time would have to get through certain necessary business of Supply by Easter, and for my part I 139 would not raise any complaint about the position between now and Easter in these special circumstances, but, of course, one has to remember that the true position is that all time is really Private Members' time, and so we have to reserve the position for after Easter. Therefore, if I ask my hon. Friends not to divide now on this issue, it is on the understanding—and I put this to the Lord President—that we must reserve our position after Easter. I agree about the conversations through the usual channels about Supply days. It is an exceptional position, and there is a number of matters which we should like to discuss. We are quite ready in principle to offer some of our Supply days to make possible these discussions on topics of interest to the House, and I think that is only reasonable, in view of the special circumstances; but I would not like the Lord President to think that my reasonableness this afternoon necessarily goes beyond the Easter Recess.

§ Mr. Clement Davies (Montgomery)
It is right that the time of Private Members should be preserved as much as possible. Unfortunately, during the war and also during the last Parliament, the time of Private Members was very seriously curtailed, and I hope that in this Parliament there will be more opportunity for Private Members. However, in these particular circumstances it is impossible for the Government to do otherwise than claim 140 that the whole time until Easter should be theirs.

§ Mr. Pickthorn (Nottingham, Carlton)
I quite understand that it would be a matter for a special Motion, but may I ask, since reasonableness is being shown, that another point should be considered? It may be that this is a matter for Members of the House of Commons as individuals and not only as Members of parties. May I ask the Government to consider this? The most important of all Private Members' hours, in the view of some of us, is the hour after ten o'clock in the evening. It might be considered whether going back to our old hours might not be wise, so that, instead of Private Members getting in on minor Debates, so to speak, our major Debates might be rather longer so that Private Members would have a better chance. I apologise for raising this question, and I quite understand that there would have to be a special Motion to alter Standing Orders, but if there are to be conversations, I wonder whether it might not be possible for this matter to be one of the subjects of the conversations —going back to the old hours of 2.45 to 11 p.m., instead of 2.30 to 10 p.m.