§ Mr. Sydney SilvermanOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. On Friday last I put down a Question to the Attorney-General for oral reply today. I find on the Order Paper today that the Question, which is 1718 No. 55, is addressed to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. I have always recognised the right of Ministers to transfer Questions to another Department, if another Department has the appropriate responsibility, but has it not always been the custom of the House, if a Question of this kind is transferred, that some notification is given to the Member who puts it down?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe Question is transferred, I gather, by the Table, after consultation with the Departments to see which is the right Department, and it is up to the Department, not the Table, to give notification to the Member that his Question has been transferred.
§ Mr. SilvermanI did not intend my point of order to reflect in any way upon the Table. I quite understand, Mr. Speaker, that the Table has no responsibility, but it is someone's responsibility, and I thought it appropriate to raise the matter with you to see that the customs of the House are complied with.
§ Mr. SpeakerI quite agree with the hon. Member. He has raised the point, and I have no doubt that notice will be taken of it.