ADJOURNMENT (Hansard, 22 December 1965)

§ Lieut.-Commander S. L. C. Maydon (Wells)
On a point of Order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the loss of 40 minutes of private Members' time, could the loss be divided equally between the various Adjournment items listed?

§ Mr. Speaker
I am grateful to the hon. and gallant Gentleman for his suggestion but I have no power to decide. However, I hope that all right hon. and hon. Members will take note of a very valuable suggestion.

§ Mr. William Yates (The Wrekin)
Further to that point or order, Mr. Speaker. In future, when statements are to be made as they have been to-day, and when private Members' time is to be lost thereby, could this be calculated in advance? Secondly, may I point out that I have been put in a very awkward position because the Minister of Housing and Local Government, besides making his statement on the South-East, has made a major alteration in the Midlands, cancelling the new town Order for Dawley?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman must not attempt to raise in the House something which he attempted to raise by another means earlier today. I sympathise with the general point he is making but I cannot do anything about it.

§ Mr. William Yates
Further to that point of order. I think that I can, Mr. Speaker, because the Adjournment takes place during the course of the day. In view of the exceptional things which have happened, is it not possible for an hon. Member to raise a matter, if there is time before 4.30?

§ Mr. Speaker
I misunderstood the hon. Gentleman. It is possible on the Adjournment for any hon. Member to raise anything for which any member of the Government is responsible. All that he has to do is to catch my eye.

§ Sir John Eden (Bournemouth, West)
On a point of order. I do not wish to take up time, Mr. Speaker, but I want 2125 to know whether there is any Ruling about the number of Government statements which can be made on any one day. There appears to be a habit of bringing forward one large package on the last day of a Session.

§ Mr. Speaker
I am afraid that there is no such Ruling.

§ Mr. Francis Noel-Baker (Swindon)
Further to the original point of order. I understood, Mr. Speaker, that you commended to the House that the time lost, namely, 41 minutes, should be equally divided among all the debates, which means that about seven minutes should be taken from each. Is that the understanding of the House?

§ Mr. Speaker
I thought that that was the general feeling of the House in the spirit of fair play in which the suggestion was made.

§ Mr. William Yates
Further to that point of order. In view of the very difficult situation in which I have been placed by the Minister of Housing and Local Government, I beg to give notice that I intend to raise the matter on the Adjournment.

§ Mr. Speaker
The hon. Gentleman must find other ways of giving notice that he intends to raise it. He must not assume that the rules of the House were drafted especially for one hon. Member.

§ Mr. William Yates
On a point of order——

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I will not hear the hon. Gentleman further on a point of order.