§ Read a Second time; considered in Committee; reported, without Amendment.
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerI am bound to point out that this practice is unusual and that Mr. Speaker has notified the House that it is frequently inconvenient as hon. Members have had no warning.
§ Motion made, and Question, That the Bill be now read the Third time, put forthwith pursuant to Standing Order No. 56 (Third Reading), and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed, without Amendment.
§ ADJOURNMENT
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Weatherill.]
§ 4.16 p.m.
§ Mr. Michael English (Nottingham, West)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I wish that at Four o'clock on a Friday afternoon you and the other occupants of the Chair would take account of the rules of the House.
Today there were 53 Bills before the House—53 items on our agenda, as it were—and it is understandable that sometimes hon. Members say "Object" before a Bill is moved. In the case of, for example, the Solicitors (Amendment) Bill I should have been prepared to move it, although opposed to it in its present form, provided that the Motion standing in the names of myself and my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Crayford (Mr. Wellbeloved) had been agreed to by the House.
As I understand it, no hon. Member was present to move that Bill at the time when it was called. This is important, because occasionally hon. Members are accused of blocking a Bill when in fact the promoter of the Bill, or the Member 2097 responsible for or in charge of it, is not here to move it.
I mean this is no way personally, but I hope that in future at Four o'clock on a Friday there will be a slight pause, not only on the part of the Chair, but on the part of all Members, so that we can see whether anyone is actually present to move a Bill before we say "Object".
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerI appreciate the hon. Member's concern, and notice will be taken of the point he has made. I should like to draw attention to the fact that points of order at this stage, when I have put the Question for the Adjournment, come within Adjournment time.