HC Deb 04 June 1956 vol 553 cc704-6
45. Mr. Hale

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that more Questions are now being asked on colonial affairs than on any other subject, he will arrange for these Questions to be answered on two days each week instead of on one.

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

I have been asked to reply.

My right hon. Friend is anxious that we should serve the House as well as we can in this matter. There are a number of considerations that enter in and we have to reconcile conflicting claims so as to achieve a reasonable and fair balance and thus endeavour to meet the wishes of hon. Members as far as possible. My right hon. Friend and I believe that the interests of the House will best be served by keeping to the present arrangements.

Mr. Hale

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that there is very great difficulty in getting the facts on the colonial situation? Will he consider discussing this matter further through the usual channels to see whether any means can be devised to give hon. Members fuller and better opportunities of obtaining early information on colonial matters? Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that the President of the Board of Trade answers Questions twice a week, though there is no Board, there is diminished trade and the President has not very much to say?

Mr. Butler

I realise that there are some Departments which answer twice a week, and I have statistics, in answer to the hon. Member, of the number of Questions that are placed on the Order Paper. If it is a question of fact, it would be possible, of course, to put down a Written Question. We also have to reflect that answers from the Colonies have to be collected and take a little longer than do answers in some other Departments. Therefore, there are some distinct difficulties. It is clear that answers from the Colonies have increased in number and there is a case for the hon. Member's Question, but in view of the several instances I have had of requests by other Departments for an extra day, I think that we had better consider the matter a good deal further before I give a reply other than that which I have given today.

Mr. Langford-Holt

Will you, Mr. Speaker, take the opportunity of correcting the statement of the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Hale) that there is no Board of Trade, in view of the fact that you, Mr. Speaker, and the Archbishop of Canterbury are members of it?

Mr. Gaitskell

Would the right hon. Gentleman publish the evidence on the number of Questions which have been put down to different Departments and of the other Departments in respect of which requests have been made for more than one Question day a week?

Mr. Butler

I thought that we might have an opportunity of discussing the matter through the usual channels before taking further action, and of considering what should be done in the best interests of the House.

Mr. Dugdale

Apart from the convenience of hon. Members, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that people in the Colonies should know that Questions are being asked and interest is being taken in colonial affairs? Will he, therefore, bear that in mind when considering whether colonial Questions should be allowed on two days?

Mr. Butler

I should have thought from the statistics of what appears on the Order Paper that the people in the Colonies are well aware of the interest taken in them.

Mr. Rankin

The right hon. Gentleman has admitted that a case exists for the point raised by my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Hale). Can we take it that that case will be further considered?

Mr. Butler

I have said in reply to the Leader of the Opposition that if he would agree to discuss this matter through the usual channels we would certainly do so.

Mr. Allaun

Would the right hon. Gentleman consider as an alternative the answering of Oral Questions on a Friday morning?

Mr. Butler

No, Sir.