– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 4 December 1961.
On a point of Order. On Thursday last, during business questions, having caught your eye, Mr. Speaker, I asked my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House a question referring to the Motion standing in my name and the names of other hon. Members—Motion No. 16—dealing with anthrax precautions.
When I had been given an answer from my right hon. Friend, I rose, thinking that I had caught your eye, and started a supplementary question. I had said one sentence before I realised that you had called not me, but, instead, the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition. In column 628 of the OFFICIAL REPORT for 30th November, only half that sentence is printed, and not the complete sentence. It was quite clearly heard by many hon. Members on both sides of the House, in spite of a little bit of noise and it was confirmed to the OFFICIAL REPORT.
I see printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT the following words:
MR. HIRST: Yes, but is not my right hon. Friend aware—"—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 30th November, 1961; Vol. 650, c. 628.]
There it stops, whereas I went on to say—
that the Motion is one of censure?
Order. I am sorry if the hon. Gentleman was thwarted, but there was a little difficulty because 1 had unwittingly thwarted the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition at the moment when I called the hon. Member for Shipley (Mr. G. Hirst). I do not think that we can go back to it now. The hon. Gentleman was asking that question when he had not been called, and in the circumstances did not complete it. I do not think that he can ask it now. Had he risen again during business questions, the position would have been different.
Further to that point of order. I do not question your Ruling, Mr. Speaker, and I do not desire to ask the question now. [HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear".] I have no desire to ask that Question now. I am rising to a point of order purely and simply for information on how we are to correct the OFFICIAL REPORT. Fortunately or unfortunately, I do not know which it is, comments are made and reported quite often when right hon. and hon. Members are not specifically called, such as interjections and interruptions. I only seek your guidance, Sir, on how one can have the OFFICIAL REPORT corrected.
I do not think that I followed the hon. Gentleman in precisely what he wants to correct. I misunderstood what he was trying to do. If he likes to tell me of a verbal error in the OFFICIAL REPORT, and he will see me privately, I will do my best to put it right.