PRIVATE NOTICE QUESTIONS

HC Deb 06 June 1967 vol 747 cc812-3

Mr. Speaker

I have a brief statement to make on the admissibility of Private Notice Questions.

The House will know that, hitherto, Questions have not been allowed by Private Notice if they anticipated a Question of which notice had already been given. In the words of Erskine May (17th Edition), at page 358, the Question on the Order Paper must first be withdrawn, and withdrawal becomes effective on the publication of an Order Paper no longer containing the Question.

On occasions, that rule has been considered unduly restrictive by my predecessors and by the House, particularly when Private Notice Questions of some importance have appeared to be blocked by a Question for Written Answer. Recently, the Select Committee on Procedure recommended in its Fifth Report of this Session that in future, when considering Private Notice Questions, I should be entitled to disregard any Question for Written Answer and should take account only of Questions which are liable to be answered orally within a reasonable period of time, having regard to the urgency of the subject matter. From such soundings as I have taken, I understand that it would meet with the general approval of the House if I were to adopt that recommendation and, therefore, I propose to adopt it as from today.

May I make it clear at once to hon. Members that this will not result in any sudden or marked increase in the number of Private Notice Questions allowed. The discretionary power of the Chair will be somewhat wider, but it will continue to be necessary for the Chair to be satisfied as to the urgency and the importance of the Question, as has been the practice in the past.

Mr. Heath

Mr. Speaker, may I thank you for your statement, and say at this stage that we welcome the introduction of this new tradition as from today.

Mr. Hogg

As the diligent will -iis-cover that it was the result of a suggestion of mine that the Select Committee made this small and recondite recommendation, may I also thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker

I am sure that the House will be grateful to the right hon. and learned Member for St. Marylebone (Mr. Hogg) and for the two Committees which have followed up his suggestions.