§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterOn a point of order of which I have already given you prior notice, Mr. Speaker.
Have you now considered the position arising out of the undertaking given to me by the Parliamentary Agents on behalf of the promoters of the Greater London Council (General Powers) Bill with respect to Clause 24 of that Measure, the papers in respect of which I submitted to you?
§ Mr. SpeakerI am grateful to the right hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter) for giving me notice that he wanted to raise what appeared 1570 to him to be an unauthorised departure from the practice of the House.
The House will recall that the Second Reading of the Bill was agreed to without a Division on 2nd May last. I understand that a few days before that debate the Agents for the promoters of the Bill gave the right hon. Gentleman an assurance which led him and other Members not to press their opposition to the Bill on Second Reading. Later, it appeared that the assurance might not be carried out.
Such a withdrawal of an assurance which has been accepted and acted upon by hon. Members would not be consistent with the practice of the House in matters affecting Private Bills. The progress of private legislation in this House is the direct concern of the Chairman of Ways and Means and I have learned from him that he is taking steps to ensure that the practice of the House is observed and that the assurance given by Parliamentary Agents to the right hon. Member will be honoured.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterMr. Speaker, may I thank you for the consideration you have given to this matter and for the Ruling itself, which seems to me, if I may respectfully say so, to be of general importance.