§ The following Private Ruling given by Mr. Speaker is published in accordance with Mr. Speaker's statement of 5 November 1981—[Official Report, c. 113.]
§ On 2 December 1981—[Official Report, c. 267]—I reiterated my view that it is unreasonable after 8 pm to call on Ministers to be ready to answer an Adjournment debate of which no previous notice has been given, and I stated that my predecessors and I have always deprecated attempts to raise matters on the Adjournment without the presence of a Minister.
I have been asked to rule whether my statement of 2 December should be taken to mean that I take a different view from Mr. Speaker Hylton-Foster who, on 14 February 1964, having drawn attention to the fact that due notice had not been given to a Minister, said in reference to the hon. Member seeking to speak:
I cannot prohibit him from doing so, but I deprecate the practice unless notice has been given to the Minister".—[Official Report, 14 February 1964; Vol. 689, c. 800.]
I now rule that my statement of 2 December does not seek to take the matter further than Mr. Speaker Hylton-Foster's ruling, save that it provides a definition of "due notice", to which I intend to adhere until the House decides otherwise.