§ LORD REDESDALEhoped the noble Viscount would formally give notice when he had other questions to put in that House. The noble Viscount was much in the habit of giving private notice to a Minister of his intention to ask Questions, but that course was attended with this inconvenience, that other noble Lords, who might feel an interest in the matters to which those Questions related, were not prepared to take part in any discussion that might arise, and were not induced even to come down to the House upon those occasions as they might otherwise have done. Such a course was extremely inconvenient both to the Government and the House, and he hoped the noble Viscount would take care for the future that due notice should be given, and that the Notice should appear on the Paper.
§ VISCOUNT STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFEwas, no doubt, greatly obliged to the noble Lord for the lesson which he had given him as to the proper mode of proceeding but it appeared to him that the noble Lord had overlooked the very obvious difference which existed between giving notice of a Question for the purpose of raising a discussion, and giving notice of one which was put merely with the view of making it the subject of consideration upon some future occasion. It was only for the latter purpose that he had that evening asked for certain explanations from his noble Friend at the head of the Government.
§ LORD REDESDALEsaid, with regard to those Questions which the noble Viscount thought so slight and unimportant for want of due notice, one had not been answered at all, and only half of the other had been replied to. He thought that in both of these cases notice should have been given, as there was no urgency with respect to either.
§ VISCOUNT STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFEwished to be allowed to say that he had given only a private notice on this occasion because it would have been impossible for him to attend on Thursday next, owing to business elsewhere of a very urgent character. He rather apprehended that the noble Earl opposite had received his intimation later than was intended, as he had written that morning.
§ LORD LYVEDENsaid, that the noble Lord the Chairman of Committees was quite justified in taking notice of this matter, as the Committee upstairs had come to the conclusion that it was desirable that due notice of Questions should be given.