HC Deb 14 December 1956 vol 562 cc793-4
Mr. Speaker

Has the Lord Privy Seal a statement to make on business?

The Lord Privy Seal (Mr. R. A. Butler)

Yes, Sir.

To meet the general wishes of the House, arrangements have been made for a debate on Hungary to take place on Wednesday next after the Second Reading of the House of Commons Disqualification Bill, which is not expected to last unduly long. It is proposed to suspend the ten o'clock rule for one hour for the debate, which will be on the Motion for the Adjournment.

Of the other business earlier announced for Wednesday, the Draft Coastal Flooding (Acreage Payments) Scheme will now be considered at the end of business on Monday next, and the Second Reading of the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Bill will be postponed until after Christmas.

Mr. J. Griffiths

While I think that it would be the desire of the House to have a full day's debate on Hungary, may I say that we appreciate very much the action of the Lord Privy Seal in responding to the desire of the whole House to have the fullest opportunity that we can to debate this matter. We hope that we shall have as much time as possible, having regard to the other business, to discuss this very important subject.

Mr. Emrys Hughes

Can the Lord Privy Seal tell us what is to be the form of this debate? Is the Motion for the Adjournment to be moved by the Government, and if so, is it not putting this country in a weak position that anyone who has acted aggressively in Egypt should condemn Russia for aggression?

Mr. Butler

I do not think that we condemn anybody by moving the Adjournment of the House. It is the desire of the Government to give a genuine opportunity to the House to express its feelings on the matter, and I think that there is no more uncontroversial manner of doing that than to move the Adjournment of the House.

In reply to the deputy Leader of the Opposition, I would say that this arrangement does give us the best part of a full day for the debate. We do not envisage that the Second Reading of the House of Commons Disqualification Bill will last very long and the suspension of the rule for one hour will make up for a good deal of the time taken by that debate. The reason for taking that Bill is because it has been held up for a year or more, and I think it rather important to make progress after Christmas. But, by this way, we get the best part of a day.

I should also like to say that it is not the wish of the Government that too much time be taken up by speeches by Ministers, or indeed, by important right hon. Gentlemen opposite.

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