§ Mr. Sydney Silverman (Nelson and Colne)On a point of order. It is normal on Thursdays—and I know why we have not had one on this Thursday —to have a business question. Had there been a business question answered by the Leader of the House, what I have to say would more properly have been addressed to him.
§ Mr. SpeakerI can anticipate what the hon. Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. S. Silverman) is about to say and I am certain that it is irregular and much too embarrassing for me to stop him, but I hope that he will go on.
§ Mr. SilvermanThe point which I wish to raise, I hope legitimately, would be more appropriately addressed in other circumstances to the Leader of the House because you yourself, Mr. Speaker, are involved in the matter.
813 You will have noticed the Motion on the Order Paper in my name and that of three of my hon. Friends.
[That this House deplores the refusal of Mr. Speaker to afford the House of Commons the right to express its view on a Division after full debate, on the policy of Her Majesty's Government as to the Common Market.]
What I am wondering is whether you yourself have taken, or propose to take, any step to provide time for the discussion of that Motion before we disperse. In furtherance of what I am saying I have only one other sentence. Although there are only four names on the Motion, we regard the matter as of considerable importance, especially having regard to the circumstances and accompanying statements at the time, and we would like to have an opportunity of clearing up What, at the moment, is a very disagreeable incident.
§ Mr. SpeakerI can understand the hon. Member regarding it as important and I share his view that it was a very disagreeable incident. But neither of those factors enables me to allocate time for the discussion of this Motion.
§ Mr. SilvermanI was not suggesting that you should allocate time. I was suggesting that in some cases when an hon. Member, including yourself, is affected by a Motion on the Order Paper, he has the opportunity, publicly, privately, through the usual channels, or in some other way, to see that such a Motion does not remain on the Order Paper for too long without the opinion of the House being taken upon it. That is What I had in mind.
§ Mr. SpeakerI do not propose to take any steps about it. I do not think it right that I should.
§ Mr. G. ThomasOn a point of order. Would it be in order to ask the Leader of the House whether, in view of the limited time given to Welsh affairs, the debate which is now coming on can now be held over until after the Recess? It is an insult to Wales that we should have been so pushed around throughout this Session.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanDo not worry about that. We are insulting everybody nowadays.