(by Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister whether lie can make any statement with regard to the order of questions on Wednesdays and Thursdays?

The House will be aware that complaints have recently been made with regard to the difficulty of securing oral answers to questions addressed to the Air Ministry and the Ministry of Transport on Wednesdays, and to the Ministry of Health on Thursdays. The order of the questions on both these days has been the subject of consultation through the usual channels, and the following rearrangement has been agreed to:

On Wednesdays, it is proposed that the Foreign Office questions should be taken first, as at present, and that the Air Ministry should be brought up to the second place. Then the Admiralty, the Colonial Office and the Ministry of Transport, will be taken in rotation, so that each of these Departments occupies the third place once in three weeks.

On Thursdays, it is proposed that the Ministry of Labour should be taken first, as at present, and then the next four Departments, namely, the Home Office, Lord Privy Seal, Board of Education and Ministry of Health, should be taken in rotation, so that each of these Departments occupies the second place once a month.

Mr. Speaker has been consulted with regard to this arrangement. A copy of the revised order of questions will be circulated to Members, and I would suggest that the new arrangement should take effect next week.

The House will be aware that the questions addressed to certain Departments on Tuesdays have been taken in rotation for some considerable time, and this arrangement has, I think, worked satisfactorily. Any re-arrangement of the order of questions must be an experiment, but I hope that the proposal which I have announced will meet the convenience of hon. Members.