§ Mr. SpeakerBefore I call the Leader of the House to move the first Motion on procedure, I shall say a word or two which will, I hope, be helpful to the House in its deliberations, describing the course of debate which is usually followed on these occasions when proposals by the Government relating to the procedure of the House are being considered.
I hope that the House will agree to take the first Motion and the Amendment thereto standing in the name of the right hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton) without debate, as a procedural Motion. As soon as the House has reached a decision on that Motion and the Amendment to it—I understand that the Government will accept the Amendment—I would then propose to call the Lord President of the Council to move the contingent Motion, the one printed in italics on the Order Paper, and to allow on this Motion a wide debate on all the remaining Motions standing in his name, that is, down to and including the Motion labelled No. 6 on the Order Paper.
I would then propose, at the end of the debate tonight, to put the Question on each of the Motions standing in the name of the Lord President of the Council so that the House will have an opportunity, if it so desires, of registering its opinion on each of them separately.
I have carefully examined and studied the Amendments to several of these Motions, the Amendments standing in the names of the hon. Members for Nottingham, West (Mr. English), for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Costain) and for Swindon (Mr. Francis Noel-Baker), and other hon. Members. I have decided not to select any of these Amendments.
§ Mr. Ronald Bell (Buckinghamshire, South)Further to what you have just said, Mr. Speaker, if the Motion and Amendment now to be moved are passed formally, would the debate which you propose to allow on the subsequent Motions in the right hon. Gentleman's name allow hon. Members to address themselves to matters which are not covered by any of the Government's proposals for the amendment of Standing Orders?
§ Mr. SpeakerYes, I have tried to convey, as far as I could, that I would allow a very broad debate, and that might include reference to some matters which are not included in the six Motions which will be before the House, although most of the debate, obviously, will take place on the issues raised in the Motions before us.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed,
§ That the Report from the Select Committee on Procedure in the last Session of the last Parliament and the First Report from the Select Committee on Procedure be now considered.—[Mr. Crossman.]
§ Amendment made: After first 'the', insert:
§ 'Fourth Report from the Select Committee on Procedure in Session 1964–65, the'.—[Mr. Turton.]
§ Question, as amended, put and agreed to.
§ Ordered,
§ That the Fourth Report from the Select Committee on Procedure in Session 1964–65, the Report from the Select Committee on Procedure in the last Session of the last Parliament and the First Report from the Select Committee on Procedure be now considered.
§ Reports considered accordingly.
§ 4.2 p.m.
§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Richard Crossman)I beg to move,
§ That this House, taking note of the Report of the Select Committee on Procedure in the last Session of the last Parliament and the First Report from the Select Committee on Procedure approves the amendments to the Standing Orders of this House set out in the following Schedule, which shall take effect on the seventeeth day of January, 1967.