HC Deb 15 May 1969 vol 783 cc1647-8
Mr. Gresham Cooke

On a point of order. May I have your guidance, Mr. Speaker? If Questions to Ministers other than the Prime Minister are dealt with by, say, five minutes past three, is it necessary to play out time with supplementaries and points of order until 3.15? Would it not be right to call the Prime Minister's Questions as soon as the other Questions are finished?

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Gentleman must refresh his memory. I attempted to do that. One could not, however, do it before quarter past three unless one was sure that the hon. Members who had not only the first Question, but the second and third Questions, were in their place.

It would be wrong if an hon. Member who had a Question down to the Prime Minister for answer between quarter-past and half-past three lost it because the Prime Minister's Questions were taken earlier. I assure the hon. Gentleman that Mr. Speaker thinks about these problems.

Mr. Heath

I am sure that we are all grateful to you, Mr. Speaker, for reminding us about the position concerning the Prime Minister's Questions. But is it not the case, as described in paragraph 55 of the Manual of Procedure, that if the Questions are exhausted before half-past three you then return to the beginning of the Order Paper and call those hon. Members who were not present when their Question was called?

Mr. Speaker

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. That has not happened in my time. I must look it up. Going back on Questions is something of which I have heard from long-serving Members of the House. I will certainly look at the matter.

Sir Knox Cunningham

On a point of order. You will notice from the Order Paper, Mr. Speaker, that Questions to the Prime Minister will begin at 3.15 p.m. Could not taking them earlier happen only if the Prime Minister were present and wished them to begin earlier, otherwise they must begin at 3.15? Is not that correct?

Mr. Speaker

The hon. and learned Gentleman is answering the point of order which I answered some time ago. We should not take the same point of order twice.