HC Deb 06 December 1951 vol 494 cc2570-2
Mr. A. Fenner Brockway

I desire to move the adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, to call attention to a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the danger of disturbances in Bechuanaland owing to the refusal of the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations to allow Seretse Khama to return to the Protectorate while Tshekedi Khama is allowed to return immediately.

Mr. Speaker

We shall be, I hope, in a short time, on the Motion for the Adjournment of the House and, therefore, I need not go into the merits of the hon. Gentleman's proposal. I cannot accept a Motion under Standing Order No. 9 when the business before the House is, in fact, the Adjournment of the House.

Mr. Brockway

I accept your decision on that matter. Sir, but may I respectfully put this point? The Motion for this afternoon is the general Adjournment. My Motion is for a special Adjournment, and is it not—

Mr. Speaker

I can shorten this. There is no such thing as a special Adjournment.

Mr. Driberg

On a point of order. If the matter submitted by my hon. Friend seemed to you, on merit, Sir, to deserve discussion, supposing the House were not already proceeding to a Motion for the Adjournment, would it not be in order to ask you whether you would consider allowing my hon. Friend to catch your eye at the time at which the Adjournment of the House would have been moved if it had been possible to follow the procedure of Standing Order No. 9?

Mr. Speaker

It is quite in order for the hon. Gentleman to ask that question, but I would not like to forecast that he will catch my eye in the course of this debate. It is proposed to move a Motion for the Adjournment. If I accepted the hon. Member's Motion, all he would get would be the Adjournment, and it would not make any difference.

Mr. Herbert Morrison

Further to that point of order, but not on the merits of my hon. Friend's Motion. I would ask you, Sir, to consider the matter with a view to giving a Ruling at some future date on what seems to be a serious point, is it intended that on any day that the Government will move the Adjournment in order that a certain debate shall take place, therefore on that day Standing Order No. 9 is inoperative? If my hon. Friend got his way, his Adjournment would come on at 7 o'Clock. I submit for your consideration that it is a serious thing, if it happens, fortuitously, that the Government are to move the adjournment of the House, that Standing Order No. 9 procedure should become inoperative, with the result that hon. Members lose most valuable rights.

Mr. Speaker

On the Motion for the Adjournment any topic can be discussed, with the well-known limitations cutting out matters of legislation and taxation, such as are known to the House. The desire to have a debate on defence today is a matter for the House and not for me. So far as I am concerned, the Motion is, "That this House do now adjourn," and under the Rules of Order any topic can be discussed, though it has become the custom and the usage of the House to use this Motion for a particular topic.

Mr. Attlee

I am not quite clear on that point, because under the Standing Orders the Adjournment of the House can be moved for the discussion of a specific subject, which is then set down for a particular time. The general Adjournment debate would not provide for that particular subject being called at a special time. Is not that the effective point under the Standing Order?

Mr. Speaker

It is, and if the right hon. Gentleman wishes me to consider this matter further I will gladly do so. As far as I am aware, what I have told the House is perfectly correct as to the Rules of order.

Mr. Sydney Silverman

Would you consider this point, Sir? Would you also have regard to the consideration that if you, with the support of the House, had allowed the adjournment to be moved under Standing Order No. 9, then for the period of three hours, from 7 o'Clock until 10 o'Clock, the House would be entitled to discuss, not all matters which would be in order under the general Adjournment Motion but only those special matters of definite public importance which had caused you to permit the adjournment to be moved? If that is so, does it not go a long way to justify my hon. Friend's distinction between a general Adjournment and a special Adjournment?

Mr. Speaker

I see that point, and I will certainly consider it with everything else. I think that any alteration would need some modification of the Standing Order.