HC Deb 22 May 1950 vol 475 cc1660-3
Mr. Leslie Hale

I venture to seek your advice and guidance, Mr. Speaker, about a Question of which I gave Private Notice to the Minister of Labour, and which I sought your leave to ask by Private Notice and which, I understand, you have ruled does not comply with Standing Order No. 7, paragraph 3. As I understand the previous Ruling you gave on this matter, it is not competent for me to mention to the House the terms of the Question I sought to put; but it is competent for me to give sufficient detail to enable the House to understand the point on which I seek your advice and guidance.

The Question arises out of a stoppage of work at Moston Colliery, near Oldham, where a number of my constitutents are employed and in respect of which I have had correspondence with the Minister of Fuel and Power. The stoppage was in protest against a decision to close the pit at a time when there is a coal shortage in Lancashire. In view of the fact that the House is rising for the Whitsuntide Adjournment at the end of this week, it was a matter which, as far as I was concerned, could only be raised by Private Notice, because the time had expired to put down a Question to the appropriate Minister.

There are two points. The first is one on which I may give you additional in formation at this moment. The first point of your Ruling was that this was a matter for the National Coal Board and not for the Minister of Fuel and Power. On that, may I call your attention to column——

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Gentleman must not challenge my Ruling. That is quite out of order. I think I can answer him, because the hon. Gentleman has given the gist of his Question already. It is a Question to the Minister of Labour. Questions to the Minister of Labour are taken on Thursday, and I should have thought that the proper course was to put down a Question for Thursday. It may be late but, after all, we got through 82 Questions today. There was some difficulty about Question No. 81, but we did get to Question No. 82. My impression is that, if the matter is of importance, supposing it is not reached, then the hon. Gentleman might use his influence with the Minister of Labour. If the Minister thinks it right the Question could be answered after Questions. He would then have my permission.

Mr. Hale

Unfortunately, the news of this matter only reached me at the House on Friday morning and I approached the Chair at once, within five minutes of receiving it. On the previous Monday I put a supplementary question on this matter to the Minister of Fuel and Power, in the following terms: If my right hon. Friend says there is a shortage of coal, why is he proposing to close down Moston colliery in Lancashire which employs, and can usefully employ for many scores of years, five or six hundred men? The reply of the Minister was: Perhaps my hon. Friend will be good enough to put that question down, and I will deal with it."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 15th May, 1950; Vol. 475. c 47.] Now I am told that it is a matter for the Coal Board and that the Minister is not competent to deal with it. I am in a very great difficulty. [HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."] I am sorry that there is this comment, but this is a matter of great gravity in my constituency, and it is one which I raise as a matter of gravity. I seek to put a Question to the Minister of Labour at the earliest possible moment. As I understand it, the reason why the Minister of Labour has been told that it is not a Private Notice Question, is that the stoppage of work has temporarily ceased. But this is what makes it more urgent: it has ceased on certain terms which we do not know. I respectfully seek your guidance on this——

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Gentleman says that it is urgent. Therefore, he is criticising my decision not to allow a Private Notice Question. He cannot do that. I have told him that he can put down a Question for next Thursday. There is nothing urgent at the moment. The men are not on strike at the moment. There may be negotiations going on, but there cannot be urgency if the men are not actually on strike.

Mr. Hale

I am sorry if I made myself misunderstood. I was attempting to say, Sir, that it was a matter of urgency from my point of view. I was not attempting to say that you were wrong in saying that it was not a matter of urgency from the point of view of the House. I am trying to reconcile these divergent points of view. According to my information, there is complete misunderstanding as to the terms on which the stoppage ceased—I do not want to add one word of controversy—and, therefore, it is extremely urgent that the Minister should make a statement at the earliest possible moment, making it clear upon what terms the stoppage ceased.

In these circumstances, I seek your advice and guidance, Sir, because this is the dilemma that confronts me. I could move the Adjournment of the House under another Standing Order, but I am unable to judge whether that is the appropriate course until I have heard the Minister's answer. In the circumstances, I ask your advice as to what course is open to me to get an answer.

The Speaker

There is nothing more for me to say.