PIPE-LINES BILL [Lords] (ALLOCATION OF TIME)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 9 July 1962.

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Photo of Mr Charles Loughlin Mr Charles Loughlin , Gloucestershire West 12:00, 9 July 1962

The hon. Member has made as many speeches in the Standing Committee as anyone else. I say this in answer to the suggestion that hon. Members on this side who were members of that Committee made all the speeches.

I am not criticising hon. Members opposite for making speeches. If anyone can tell me what we are supposed to do in a Standing Committee except examine the Bill which is before the Committee, and make speeches in support of Amendments or new Clauses which are introduced, I should like to hear. That is the job of hon. Members on this side of the House and of Government supporters. The reiteration of what has happened in the past is a sheer waste of time.

This is an important matter to the House of Commons and no one recognises that more than the Leader of the House. The imposition of a Guillotine is something which has become a habit of the Government. The right hon. Gentleman admitted that it was becoming a habit. He referred to the number of times during this Session when the Government have had to have recourse to guillotine Motions in order to secure their own way. I hope that I may have the attention of the right hon. Gentleman when I say that today we are creating another precedent.

Is it a new precedent, that we should devote only a period of two-and-a-half hours to discussing a guillotine Motion? Should not this Motion have been discussed at least for a full day? Have we now reached the point when not only do we accept the principle of guillotine Motions on major legislation, but are not prepared to devote sufficient time to discussing such Motions?

I do not care whether or not arrangements far this Motion were made between the two sides of the House. I do not know whether the Motion has been moved as a result of consultations, but I think that we should register a strong protest at the abuse of the procedures of the House if back-bench Members have been denied the opportunity to discuss an issue of great importance.