§ 2.43 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEMy Lords, after a word with my noble friend Lord Lucan, may I ask the noble Marquess the Leader of the House why we were not favoured with the statement on Cyprus which was given in the other place at the end of Questions yesterday?
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY)My Lords, it was because the Opposition did not put down a Question. If they had put down a Private Notice Question, as was done in another place, they would have had an answer. There was no statement in the other place, in the sense that the Government initiated a statement; they merely answered a Question which was put dawn by the Opposition. It is always open to the Opposition to put down Private Notice Questions, and we have never been backward in giving an Answer when it has been requested. On any future occasion, if the Opposition wish to put down a Question on private notice, we shall be happy to discuss it.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEMy Lords, the noble Marquess is quite right, and I agree that he has shown the greatest courtesy in this matter. But reading the account of what happened in another place, it appeared to me that the Question was invited by the Government; it appeared to have that form—what is called a "bonnet" question.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I will, of course, inquire into that, but so far as I know that was not the case on this occasion; it was just an ordinary Question and Answer, the Question being by private notice. I would also say that it did not incorporate any 566 statement of future policy but was merely an account of past events.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEMy Lords, it did include the remarkable statement that the decision of the United Nations gave moral support to our position in Cyprus.