§ Mr. MaudeApart from my attendance in the House and a visit I made to the press division of the Department of Education and Science this morning, I have no engagements today outside my office.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The House knows what I have said about open questions addressed to anyone other than the Prime Minister. I propose to exercise my discretion not to call a supplementary question. I have said it on three occasions.
§ Mr. CryerOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Your decision on question No. 59, Mr. Speaker, not to allow any comment came as something of a surprise. First, Mr. Speaker, you prejudged my supplementary question, which could have been about the reply. I know that that would be rather strange in the House of Commons, but it is a possibility that should not be excluded from your thoughts, Mr. Speaker. Secondly, with a new Government there are inevitably a number of members of that Government whose role is somewhat shadowy.
Your decision, Mr. Speaker, would be fair in the fullest sense only if there were a comprehensive definition of each area of governmental activity. The Table Office accepted question No. 59. As you know, Mr. Speaker, the Table Office rejects questions that are outside the area of responsibility. The Table Office having accepted the question, there should be an opportunity for a supplementary question. To do otherwise is, in effect, to gag Members of Parliament, which is a serious matter. I ask you, Mr. Speaker, to request a definition of governmental duties of the utmost detail to be available at the Vote Office so that hon. Members will have the right to subject the Executive to proper examination.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Within the past two weeks I have reminded the House of 29 the ruling that I gave twice before, in which I said that to protect the Order Paper and to stop every Minister having a long list of questions about his engagements. I do not propose, until the House instructs me otherwise, to call any hon. Member to ask a supplementary question of a Minister, other than the Prime Minister, when it is a shot-in-the-dark question. Until the House instructs me otherwise, that I propose to do.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I shall take a point of order but not a point of disputation.
§ Mr. CryerYou have said, Mr. Speaker, that that is your ruling until you receive contrary instructions from the House. That is understood. However, how does the House produce that instruction, bearing in mind that business is in the control of the Government? The Government want the advantage of not having general questions, so they are hardly likely to provide time for debating a motion giving you fresh instructions, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman is right in that I do not draw up the Order Paper. It is equally right that I have received forceful protests from both sides of the House, the protesters rejecting the farce of the open question that removes from the Order Paper notice to the House of the real question that is to be asked.