§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. S. Silverman) had a point of order which he wished to raise. May I express my gratitude to him for helping me to proceed with Questions?
§ Mr. S. SilvermanMay I raise now, Mr. Speaker, the point which I attempted to raise during Question Time, relating to Question No. 100?—
100. Mr. S. SILVERMAN: To ask the Attorney-General whether he will move to set 1529 up a select committee or other investigation to inquire into the working of the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act and to make recommendations with a view to its repeal or amendment.I put this Question down to the Prime Minister on Tuesday, and yesterday he was kind enough to write me a letter saying that he had transferred it to the Attorney-General. If that had been all, I should not have wanted to waste the time of the House or your time, Mr. Speaker, in discussing it, but the circumstances are that I did not desire, and do not desire, any answer from the Attorney-General to this Question.If the Prime Minister, it being well within his rights, did not wish himself to answer it, I should have preferred to withdraw the Question. I hope that no answer by the Attorney-General will be allowed to appear upon the records of the House, because I do not desire to ask the Attorney-General this Question.
My reasons are that the Attorney-General is too personally and professionally involved to consider a general question of policy and that, in any case, the question of moving to appoint a Select Committee is not one normally within the Attorney-General's province, but only that of the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister himself. The point of order which I am raising is that if a Minister, and especially the Prime Minister, is unwilling, for reasons which seem good to him, to answer a Question, then, before he transfers it to another Minister, ought he not to ascertain that the questioner has no objection to that course?
§ Mr. SpeakerI think that at an earlier stage the hon. Member was good enough to express the view that he knew that a matter of transfer was not one for me. No doubt the point which he has raised will be noted. It will appear in HANSARD. Nor is it up to me to suggest to one with his Parliamentary wisdom and experience how he might get out of his difficulty, but he is, of course, still in time to withdraw the Question to prevent it from being asked.
§ Mr. SilvermanIn case I am not quite in time to reach the Table before 3.30 p.m.—and it is now 3.33 p.m.—may I from my place here say that I should like the Question to be withdrawn?
§ Mr. SpeakerSome wave of the hon. Member's wishes has already been sensed at the Table.