§ 2.41 p.m.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government, whether a draft of the Revised new Malaya Constitution will be laid before Parliament at an early date so that there may be full opportunity to debate it before it takes legislative shape.]
§ VISCOUNT HALLMy Lords, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies has arranged for copies of the constitutional proposals now under discussion in Malaya to be placed in the library. These proposals were published in Malaya in December last, and shortly thereafter a Consultative Committee was appointed by the Governor, for the purpose of affording to all interested individuals, bodies and groups in Malaya, full and free opportunity for expressing their views on them. This Committee have been charged with the task of collecting all such views, and will present their report to the Governor of the Malayan Union for consideration in his Advisory Council. Shortly thereafter the Governor hopes to submit his recommendations for consideration by His Majesty's Government. Before any final decisions are reached, Parliament will have the opportunity of commenting upon the recommendations, but I regret that, I cannot at present forecast with any certainty when they will be available to the House.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords, I will defer in a moment to my noble friend Viscount Elibank, but I wish to ask a supplementary question, particularly in view of what was said by the noble Viscount, the Leader of the Liberal Party. May I with great respect, put to the noble 685 and learned Viscount on the Woolsack that it is quite in order for a noble Lord, other than the noble Lord who puts the question, to ask a supplementary question provided he does not make a speech? That, I venture to submit, has been the uniform practice with regard to supplementary questions in the ten or twelve years I have been in this House. Perhaps the noble and learned Viscount would deal with that point.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORI am now better able to answer than I was earlier. I understand that the Rule of Order is that a supplementary question may be asked by any Peer, but it must be strictly a supplementary question and not a speech.
§ VISCOUNT SAMUELI must apologize for having raised a false point, but I did so on what I thought was the best advice I could obtain.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKPerhaps I may now ask my supplementary question, being naturally gratified at the statement which has just been made, and which I think represents the practice that has always obtained in this House. I wish to thank the noble Viscount for the reply which he has given, and for the hope it sets out that Parliament will have full opportunity to consider these proposals before they come into force. I should, however, like to ask the noble Viscount, as my question indicates, whether these proposals will be put into legislative shape before we have had an opportunity of considering them. In his reply he did not actually answer that point, and I should be grateful if he would be good enough to do so now, because it is a very important point. As proposals we can discuss them and mould them. If we have them as a Bill, we have not the same opportunity for moulding them.
§ VISCOUNT HALLMay I, for the benefit of the noble Viscount, repeat the latter part of the reply: "Before any final decisions are reached, Parliament will have an opportunity of commenting upon the recommendations, but I regret that I cannot at present forecast with any certainty when they will be available to the House." I think that meets the point.
§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, may I, with the indulgence of the House, before putting my question, ask for a further interpretation of the matters that have just been discussed? With regard to starred questions, is it in order for any Peer to intervene with a supplementary question before the Peer who asks the original question has had a chance to ask a supplementary question? Having been absent abroad for three months, I wondered if there was any change?
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORI understand the practice—it was always the practice in the other place—is that the Peer who asks the question is entitled to the first supplementary; and thereafter other Peers may ask supplementary questions.
§ LORD BARNBYThank you.