§ Mr. Leo Abse (Pontypool)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I wish to raise two matters following the debate on Friday.
First, those of us who are exceedingly jealous of the time accorded to private Members are particularly anxious about the manner in which the debate was conducted, because it had the effect of impinging on the opportunities for hon. Members to speak. Under the terms of the motion, the debate involved the relationship of this country with other countries. The Minister chose to speak early in the debate and he did so for about an hour. Although hon. Members were still waiting to speak, Mr. Deputy Speaker later chose to call the junior Minister to speak as well, so that on a private Member's day the Government hijacked one hour and 20 minutes of debating time. It would be an unhappy precedent if it led to a similar occurance again in private Member's time, unless there were compelling reasons.
Secondly, it was not a regional debate but affected all hon. Members. Out of 635 hon. Members, only 12, or 1.9 per cent., represent Northern Ireland. As long as we continue to rule Northern Ireland from this Parliament, hon. Members representing Scotland and Wales should not be under the grave disadvantage of being treated as they were on Friday, when far more hon. Members for Northern Ireland were called than were called from the rest of the United Kingdom.
As it is likely that we shall continue to rule Northern Ireland from this Parliament for some time, the status of the Chamber should not be diminished by being used as a Northern Ireland Assembly whenever we have a Northern Ireland debate. In future, would it be possible for the Chair to guide the House and restrain speakers so that Back Benchers are not deprived of the opportunity to speak in a debate that is important to us all?
§ Mr. K. Harvey Proctor (Basildon)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I, too, was in the Chamber for the five hours on Friday and was not called to speak. I might have been disappointed about that, but I support the Chair's decision. I found the debate interesting and was pleased to hear the wide views from hon. Members from Northern Ireland and elsewhere.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. It is unusual for the Government to take one and a half hours in private Members' time, and it is a little unusual for a Minister to speak for 23 minutes after the Government have spent an hour in opening, but it was an unusual debate.
Secondly, the speeches on Friday were exceptionally long. I have a list of those speeches. The shortest—I shall not give the name of the hon. Member who made it—was 16 minutes long and the others were in the realm of the high twenties, and even 37 minutes on one occasion. I shall not give the names of the hon. Members who made those speeches either.
It is true that the subject being discussed during a Northern Ireland debate is a matter for the whole House, but I believe that priority is bound to be given to those hon. Members who are sent here by the electors of Northern Ireland when we are discussing what is primarily their major consideration.
23 I am sorry that the hon. Member for Pontypool (Mr. Abse) sat here all day and was not called. It is the gravest problem for whoever occupies the Chair when that type of thing happens.