§
Motion made, and Question put,
That the Proceedings on the Parliament (No. 2) Bill may be entered upon and proceeded with at this day's Sitting at any hour, though opposed.—[Mr. O'Malley.]
§ The House proceeded to a Division—
§ Mr. Peyton (seated and covered)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. It is very difficult for anyone to hear what is going on because of the considerable hubbub which takes place on the Treasury Bench almost perpetually when a Division is about to take place. A 916 number of us were under the impression that the Whip did not move the suspension of the Standing Order, but moved that the Chairman do report Progress and ask leave to sit again. Those words were distinctly heard here. We ask for your guidance on why that Question and not the other was put.
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Sydney Irving)The hon. Member will have an opportunity in a very short time to hear what the Motion was that was moved.
§ Mr. PeytonFurther to that point of order. It is now that I wish to ask what exactly is the Motion on which we are voting. You have been kind enough to say that in a few moments I shall have an opportunity to hear what the next Motion is. I am now asking which Motion was moved from the Treasury Bench.
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerThe Question is, That the Proceedings on the Parliament (No. 2) Bill may be entered upon
§ and proceeded with at this day's Sitting at any hour, though opposed:—
§ The House having divided: Ayes 132, Noes 58.
917| Division No. 156.] | AYES | [10.10 p.m. |
| Anderson, Donald | Greenwood, Rt. Hn. Anthony | O'Malley, Brian |
| Archer, Peter | Gregory, Arnold | Oram, Albert E. |
| Ashton, Joe (Bassetlaw) | Grey, Charles (Durham) | Orbach, Maurice |
| Bagier, Gordon A. T. | Griffiths, David (Rother Valley) | Oswald, Thomas |
| Baxter, William | Griffiths, Eddie (Brightside) | Page, Derek (King's Lynn) |
| Benn, Rt. Hn. Anthony Wedgwood | Hamilton, James (Bothwell) | Parker, John (Dagenham) |
| Blackburn, F. | Hamling, William | Pavitt, Laurence |
| Bray, Dr. Jeremy | Hannan, William | Pearson, Arthur (Pontypridd) |
| Brown, Bob (N'c'tle-upon-Tyne, W.) | Harrison, Walter (Wakefield) | Peart, Rt. Hn. Fred |
| Buchan, Norman | Hart, Rt. Hn. Judith | Pentland, Norman |
| Callaghan, Rt. Hn. James | Hattersley, Roy | Perry, Ernest G. (Battersea, S.) |
| Carmichael, Neil | Hazell, Bert | Prentice, Rt. Hn. R. E. |
| Chapman, Donald | Henig, Stanley | Price, Christopher (Perry Barr) |
| Coleman, Donald | Houghton, Rt. Hn. Douglas | Rees, Merlyn |
| Concannon, J. D. | Howell, Denis (Small Heath) | Robinson, Rt. Hn. Kenneth (St. P'c'as) |
| Crawshaw, Richard | Hoy, James | Rodgers, William (Stockton) |
| Cullen, Mrs. Alice | Hunter, Adam | |
| Dalyell, Tam | Hynd, John | Ross, Rt. Hn. William |
| Davidson, Arthur (Accrington) | Irvine, sir Arthur (Edge Hill) | Shore, Rt. Hn. Peter (Stepney) |
| Davies, Dr. Ernest (Stretford) | Johnson, James (K'ston-on-Hull, W.) | Silkin, Rt. Hn. John (Deptford) |
| Davies, Rt. Hn. Harold (Leek) | Jones, Dan (Burnley) | Silverman, Julius |
| Davies, Ifor (Gower) | Jones, J. Idwal (Wrexham) | Slater, Joseph |
| de Freitas, Rt. Hn. Sir Geoffrey | Lawson, George | Small, William |
| Delargy, Hugh | Lee, Rt. Hn. Frederick (Newton) | Spriggs, Leslie |
| Dell, Edmund | Lewis, Ron (Carlisle) | Steele, Thomas (Dunbartonshire, W.) |
| Dempsey, James | Loughlin, Charles | Stewart, Rt. Hn. Michael |
| Dewar, Donald | Lubbock, Eric | Taverne, Dick |
| Diamond, Rt. Hn. John | Lyons, Edward (Bradford, E.) | Thomas, Rt. Hn. George |
| Doig, Peter | McCann, John | Thomson, Rt. Hn. George |
| Dunnett, Jack | MacColl, James | Tinn, James |
| Eadie, Alex | Macdonald, A. H. | Urwin, T. W. |
| Ellis, John | Mackenzie, Gregor (Rutherglen) | Varley, Eric G. |
| Ennals, David | Maclennan, Robert | Walker, Harold (Doncaster) |
| Ensor, David | McNamara, J. Kevin | Watkins, David (Consett) |
| Evans, Ioan L. (Birm'h'm, Yardley) | Marks, Kenneth | Watkins, Tudor (Brecon & Radnor) |
| Ewing, Mrs. Winifred | Marsh, Rt. Hn. Richard | Wells, William (Walsall, N.) |
| Fernyhough, E. | Mellish, Rt. Hn. Robert | Whitlock, William |
| Finch, Harold | Mendelson, John | Wilkins, W. A. |
| Fitch, Alan (Wigan) | Millan, Bruce | Williams, Alan (Swansea, W.) |
| Fletcher, Rt. Hn. Sir Eric (Islington, E.) | Miller, Dr. M. S. | Willis, Rt. Hn. George |
| Foley, Maurice | Milne, Edward (Blyth) | Wilson, William (Coventry, S.) |
| Forrester, John | Morgan, Elystan (Cardiganshire) | |
| Fraser, John (Norwood) | Morris, John (Aberavon) | TELLERS FOR THE AYES: |
| Freeson, Reginald | Murray, Albert | Mr. Neil McBride and |
| Galpern, Sir Myer | Neal, Harold | Mr. Joseph Harper. |
| Ginsburg, David | Ogden, Eric |
| NOES | ||
| Alison, Michael (Barkston Ash) | Iremonger, T. L. | Rawlinson, Rt. Hn. Sir Peter |
| Allason, James (Hemel Hempstead) | Jackson, Peter M. (High Peak) | Rhys Williams, Sir Brandon |
| Allaun, Frank (Salford, E.) | Kaberry Sir Donald | Ridsdale, Julian |
| Baker, W. H. K. (Banff) | Kerr, Mrs. Anne (R'ter & Chatham) | Royle, Anthony |
| Biffen, John | King, Evelyn (Dorset, S.) | Russell, Sir Ronald |
| Birch, Rt. Hn. Nigel | Lee, John (Reading) | Sharples, Richard |
| Black, Sir Cyril | Lewis, Arthur (W. Ham, N.) | Sheldon, Robert |
| Boardman, Tom (Leicester, S. W.) | Macmillan, Maurice (Farnham) | Silvester, Frederick |
| Booth, Albert | Marten, Neil | Smith, Dudley (W'wick & L'mington) |
| Boyd-Carpenter, Rt. Hn. John | Maudling, Rt. Hn. Reginald | Steel, David (Roxburgh) |
| Buchanan-Smith, Alick (Angus, N & M) | Monro, Hector | Stoddart-Scott, Col. Sir M. |
| Campbell, B. (Oldham, W.) | More, Jasper | Taylor, Edward M. (G'gow, Cathcart) |
| Carlisle, Mark | Neave, Airey | Waddington, David |
| Crouch, David | Osborne, Sir Cyril (Louth) | Ward, Dame Irene |
| Dalkeith, Earl of | Page, Graham (Crosby) | Weatherill, Bernard |
| Fletcher-Cooke, Charles | Page, John (Harrow, W.) | Whitelaw, Rt. Hn. William |
| Fraser, Rt. Hn. Hugh (St'fford & Stone) | Peyton, John | |
| Hastings, Stephen | Powell, Rt. Hn. J. Enoch | TELLERS FOR THE NOES: |
| Heald, Rt. Hn. Sir Lionel | Pym, Francis | Sir Knox Cunningham and |
| Heffer, Eric S. | Quennell, Miss J. M. | Mr. Ian Gilmour. |
| Hiley, Joseph | Ramsden, Rt. Hn. James |
§ 10.15 p.m.
§ Mr. PowellOn a point of order. I wonder whether you could give us your guidance, Mr. Deputy Speaker. You will recall that, in the course of the Division which has just taken place, my hon. Friend the Member for Yeovil (Mr. Peyton) drew your attention to the fact that he had heard moved from the Treasury Bench the Motion, That the Chairman do report Progress and ask leave to sit again. You subsequently put the Question to the House,
That the Proceedings on the Parliament (No. 2) Bill may be entered upon and proceeded with at this day's Sitting at any hour, though opposed.What I wish to submit to you is that that Motion, in order validly to be put by you from the Chair, requires to be moved from the Treasury Bench and that it was not, at any rate audibly to this side of the House, so moved. Could you please give us your guidance on what actually took place?
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerYes, I think I can help the right hon. Gentleman. The procedure on occasions like this when a suspension Motion is to be moved, is that the Chairman leaves the Chair without putting any Question. It is reported, that the Chairman reports Progress and asks leave to sit again, whereupon—this is what in fact happened—the occupant of the Chair calls on the Prime Minister to move the suspension Motion on the Order Paper. That is exactly what happened this evening. It is perfectly in order.
§ Mr. PeytonFurther to that point of order. May I ask for guidance here. Every change in our procedures is made to expedite and facilitate the procedures
§ of the Executive, not the House. They represent changes which prejudice the position of the Opposition and those who disagree with the Bill. Though you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, called upon the Prime Minister to move the Motion, the right hon. Gentleman—and we are all grateful for it—was conspicuous by his absence and no one heard the Motion moved which you subsequently put.
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. Any Minister can stand in for the Prime Minister and it does not require an audible——
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. The tradition is that a nod is enough.
§ Sir Knox CunninghamOn a point of order——
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder.