§ Ordered,
§ That the Proceedings on the Motions relating to Business of the House, Procedure (Motions for leave to bring in Bills and Nomination of Select Committees at Commencement of Public Business), and Procedure (Select Committees) may be entered upon and proceeded
§ That—
| (1) save as provided in this Order, Government business shall have precedence at every Sitting until the Summer Adjournment and no bills other than Government bills shall be introduced; |
| (2) private members' notices of motions shall have precedence over Government business on 17th June, 24th June, 8th July, and 22nd July, and ballots for these notices shall be held after Questions on 25th May, 15th June, 22nd June, and 6th July, respectively; |
| (3) no notices of motions shall be handed in for any of the days on which private members' notices have precedence under this Order in anticipation of those ballots; |
| (4) Standing Order No. 5 (Precedence of Government Business) shall have effect after the Summer Adjournment as if the session had been opened at the first meeting of the House after the said Adjournment. |
§ It is usual at the beginning of a Parliamentary Session to move a Motion covering the time allotted to private Members for Private Members' Bills and Motions during that current Session. It has been the custom during the last several years to allocate 20 Fridays—10 for Private Members' Motions and 10 for Private Members' Bills. However, this year, with an extended Session and in accordance with what my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in the debate on the Address on Thursday of last week, the proposal in front of the House now is to allocate not 20 Fridays for private Members' time but 24. We propose that the time should be divided as to 14 days for Private Members' Motions and 10 days for Private Members' Bills.
§ This is rather more than would normally be given under similar circumstances, but there are precedents, and perhaps the nearest precedent is when there was a General Election in the spring of 1955, when the Administration at that time allowed no private Members' time whatsoever until the autumn of that year—
Mr. R. Gresham-Cooke (Twickenham)Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will allow me to correct him there. He speaks of the spring of 1955, but the General Election was on 26th May, 1955, and Parliament did not reassemble until 7th June. There were only six weeks left of that Session.
§ with at this day's Sitting at any hour, though opposed.—[The Prime Minister.]