I give notice that I will move on Tuesday that until further ordered the Order Paper on Wednesday be confined to questions and Ministerial business throughout the entire sittings, and that on Fridays no questions, other than Private Notice Questions, be taken. That is in accordance with the practice we adopted last year, and which, I think, was generally regarded as satisfactory.
APPROPRIATION OF TIME FOR PUBLIC BUSINESS.
Is it not early in the Session to make such a proposition? The President has assured us that there is no very long list of legislative proposals to put before us, and that the session will mainly be financial. If it is now intended to take Wednesdays for the whole of the session, I think it is asking rather too much. I think it is unnecessary. I would certainly ask the President not to press that until he finds later in the year that the public business requires it.
I will agree to postpone it for a week, but I think there was no hardship last year on account of it, and it was simply a question of accommodation.
It still may be a question of accommodation. If there is no Private Members' business, inevitably and naturally Ministerial business will be taken, but by passing such a resolution now, we would in effect be barring any Private Members' business.
Private Members' business takes up an hour and a half. When we have sittings to half-past ten at most it means that private members' business would be taken from 9 to 10.30. With the ordinary adjournment for tea, the actual amount of time for public business is very much curtailed, and simply to take the Estimates for one hour I thought was regarded as unsatisfactory, and I thought that it would be better to continue the period that was fixed for the consideration of that business. However, I am prepared, if Deputy Johnson wishes, to see the Committee on Procedure and Privileges in connection with the matter.
I think it would be better to have some understanding of what is intended. I think that would be the better procedure.
Very good.