§ Sir Knox CunninghamOn a point of order. May I ask for your guidance, Mr. Speaker?
I put down a Question for oral Answer to the Minister of Social Security, asking her to give the date of the First Reading of the pensions Bill. The Question appeared on the Order Paper, but before it could be answered the Bill was introduced. I sought leave to substitute "Second" for "First" in the Question and was told that the Second Reading was the responsibility of the Leader of the House. When I asked for the Question to be transferred to the Leader of the House, the Minister responsible, I was told that this was not possible.
I understand that there is no recorded Ruling on this point, and, since it may limit the right of a Member to question a Minister, I would ask you, Mr. Speaker, 108 to give a Ruling for the guidance of Members so that it may be quoted in Erskine May.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. and learned Gentleman raised this point with me privately but wishes me to rule on it in the House. May I say in passing how much I appreciate the fact that when Members are advised by the Table on Questions they usually accept that advice. If a Question is referred to the Speaker for a Ruling, they usually accept a private Ruling.
The short answer on the Ruling which the hon. and learned Gentleman wants me to give is that his original Question dealt with the proposed date for the presentation and First Reading of a Bill, which is a matter of Departmental policy, and therefore within the responsibility of the Minister in charge of the Bill. The Question was perfectly proper. Later, however, the Question had to be altered so as to refer to the proposed date of the Second Reading of the Bill. This would make the Question a matter of the arrangement of Government business, which is within the sphere of responsibility of the Leader of the House and not the Minister of Social Security. A regular opportunity is already given of putting questions on business to the Leader of the House every Thursday, and my predecessor consistently held that such Questions should not go on the Order Paper as well, for this would allow the same Questions to be asked twice over. I should at all times be reluctant to depart from the Rulings of my predecessors without good cause.
The House will recall that over the last two years complaints have been made about the difficulty of obtaining oral Answers to Questions, and the problem has been considered twice by the Procedure Committee. It therefore scarcely seems to me to be the time even to consider a reversal of my predecessor's Ruling, which would have the effect of placing an entirely new class of Questions on the Order Paper. This would make it still more difficult to get oral Answers to Questions.
§ Sir Knox CunninghamFurther to my point of order. I am most grateful to you, Mr. Speaker, for your courteous public reply, because I know that you always have the interests of private Members at heart.