§ 49. Mr. Emrys Hughesasked the Prime Minister whether the statements made by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the British Broadcasting Corporation's programme "Woman's Hour" on 29th April represent the policy of Her Majesty's Government.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir.
§ Mr. HughesIs the Prime Minister aware that the broadcast made by the Foreign Secretary in "Woman's Hour" was received with a certain amount of incredulity? Will he assure us that he will advise the Foreign Secretary not to broadcast in "Children's Hour," because even the children will not believe him?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. We spent two days trying to find out what are the beliefs of the party opposite, and even so we do not know yet. I thought that my right hon. and learned Friend made two very wise observations, first, that a great many of the expressions of anxiety came from non-scientific sources and, secondly, that a great deal of the arguments came from people with strong fellow-travelling tendencies.
§ Mr. Usborne rose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Mr. Dodds.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member for Erith and Crayford (Mr. Dodds) did not rise when I called his Question—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I do not know to what the right hon. Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. Bevan) is rising, but unfortunately I called the Question and I must stick to that. I did not see the right hon. Gentleman attempt to rise before; I always try to give right hon. Gentlemen a place if I can.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am afraid that I did not see the right hon. Gentleman rise. Mr. Emrys Hughes.
§ Mr. HughesIs the Prime Minister not aware that this attempt to brand and smear as fellow-travellers everybody who objects to the H-bomb tests covers a very large number of people, and the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Member is going back to Question No. 49.
§ Mr. HughesOn a point of order.
§ Mr. SpeakerI called Question No. 50.
§ Hon. Members: No.
§ Mr. J. Griffiths rose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am speaking to a point of order, too. I called the hon. Member for Erith and Crayford, who has Question No. 50 on the Order Paper, and he did not rise and so I called the next Question, No. 51, which is also in the name of the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes), and I thought he was going to ask that. As there has been this trouble, the hon. Member has just time to ask it, if he wishes to do so.
§ Mr. L GriffithsOn a point of order. May I, with respect, put to you, Mr. Speaker, the point that the question put to the Prime Minister about the broadcast was one which has caused deep concern and that you should consider allowing a supplementary question, because it is a matter upon which the public are entitled to some explanation?
§ Mr. PagetFurther to that point of order. I think that there has been some complaint on a number of occasions from back-benchers about Privy Councillors hogging Questions. What happened was that one of my hon. Friends rose. My right hon. Friend the Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. Bevan), before getting up, had the courtesy to look round to see whether a back-bencher wanted to intervene. When a Privy Councillor has the courtesy to do that, it seems a little hard not to allow a supplementary question. If I may respectfully say so, such conduct on the part of a Privy Councillor should definitely be encouraged.
§ Mr. SpeakerThat explains why I did not see the right hon. Member for Ebbw Vale rise. I always try to give right hon. Gentlemen the opportunity to ask a question if they want to, but I saw the hon. Member for Yardley (Mr. Usborne) rise, and the question I had to decide was whether to let him ask a supplementary question or to give the hon. Member for South Ayrshire the opportunity to ask his Question. I thought it better to give an hon. Member who had taken the trouble to put a Question on the Order Paper the right to ask his Question, as time was short, rather than call another Member to ask a supplementary question. That is how the whole thing arose. There is nothing more to be said about it. Question Time has now passed.
Mr. H. WilsonFurther to that point of order. Since we understood that the Foreign Secretary's broadcast was in pursuance of a series of scientific broadcasts, and since the Prime Minister now says—[HON. MEMBERS: "Point of order? 1—that the Foreign Secretary was speaking for the Government and no Opposition spokesman has been allowed by the B. B. C. to reply, is it not, therefore, incumbent upon the House to pursue the matter?
§ Mr. SpeakerCertainly, the House can pursue any matter it likes, in the proper way, but not by asking about a Question after we have passed from it. That was the position I was in. I did not see the right hon. Member for Ebbw Vale rise—and now I am told that he did not rise—and I chose the next Question.
§ Mr. BevanWith all respect, Sir, I looked round. Only one supplementary question had been asked, following the statement by the Prime Minister that he approved of the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on the radio, which is quite a serious thing to say. [Laughter.] Yes, surely it has long ago been accepted by the House that it is a very serious thing for the Prime Minister to agree with whatever the Foreign Secretary says. My hon. Friend the Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes) rose to put one supplementary question, and another supplementary question was about to be put and was not being called, and I was waiting for it to be called. With all 371 respect, it looks as though the intervention saved the Prime Minister from very anxious cross-questioning.
§ Mr. SpeakerI do not know whether the right hon. Gentleman means that as a reflection on me, because if he does he ought to put it on the Order Paper and have it debated. I wish to state quite categorically that there was nothing of that sort in my mind when I chose the hon. Member for South Ayrshire, in preference to the hon. Member for Yardley, because the hon. Member for South Ayrshire had put his Question on the Order Paper and, therefore, I thought that he had the preference as the time was so short.
§ Hon. Members: Withdraw.
§ Mr. BevanWith all respect, Mr. Speaker, if you will do me the honour to read in HANSARD tomorrow what I said you will see that I said that the intervention saved the Prime Minister. It may not have been your intention to do so.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanOn a point of order. You said a few minutes ago, Mr. Speaker, that the House could pursue any matter it wished, provided it did so in the proper way. Is not the proper way in this case to give notice that, owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the Answer, an hon. Member will seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment? if that is the proper way, I should like to give that notice now.
§ Mr. SpeakerCertainly. What the hon. Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. S. Silverman) says is quite right. It is impossible to thrash out fully every Question at Question Time, if every hon. Member who has put Questions on the Order Paper is to have a fair chance. If an hon. Member cannot get what he considers to be a satisfactory answer, he 372 should take the step suggested by the hon. Member for Nelson and Colne. Sometimes it is not easy to choose in accepting supplementary questions, but I always think that an hon. Member who has a Question on the Order Paper has a prior right, and hon. Members who jump in and intervene on other hon. Members' Questions should yield place. Sir Eric Errington.
§ Mr. HughesOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker, I think there was some misunderstanding. In view of the fact that you called me to ask Question No. 51, is there any possibility of getting that Question answered?
§ Mr. SpeakerNot the slightest. Sir Eric Errington.
§ Mr. DoddsOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker, I have been trying to follow the proceedings, and I should be pleased if you would clarify the position so far as my interest is concerned with regard to Questions. Do I understand that you called my name and that I did not rise? [HON. MEMBERS: "Yes."] I cannot rise if someone else is on his feet, and I was waiting. [Laughter.] That is so. Often at Question Time an hon. Member rises when someone else is trying to get in. I was taking it, Mr. Speaker, that you never gave me an opportunity to ask Question No. 50, and having tried at Question Time for years to get up, I must say that this is the first time I have ever known that I have been passed over because someone else was on his feet and I did not rise. At least I hope to have some courtesy in this House, and I was trying to deserve it.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder, order. The hon. Member was not passed over. I called his name distinctly. An hon. Member, when his name is called, has the right to rise, no matter who is on his feet. The hon. Member passed himself over by not rising. Sir Eric Errington.