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Personal Statement

Volume 389: debated on Thursday 13 May 1943

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I would ask your permission, Mr. Speaker, to make a correction. While the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Town and Country Planning was winding up the Debate on Tuesday he said, referring to me:

"My hon. Friend asked me two Questions a week at one period imploring me to do nothing by Order in Council."
On my protesting, he gave way to me, and I said:
"I really must protest. I would like my hon. Friend to produce one Question in which I have asked him not to do anything by Order in Council. I have never asked such a Question."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 11th May, 1943; col. 576, Vol. 389.]
On searching through all the Questions I have asked in the last year or so, I find that, with the object of ensuring that nothing would be done during a long Adjournment which would preclude the House from considering it later, I asked on 22nd July, 1942, that no law or regulation affecting post-war building or plan- ning should be enacted by Order in Council. Consequently, as I referred to an Order in Council, though for a rather different reason, I should like to have your permission to have this corrected in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

May I say a word on the very important issue which has been raised by the hon. Member? I should like to ask you, Mr. Speaker, how far this farce is to be continued of each of us getting up and correcting little bits. If Parliament is to be diverted by that kind of thing, it will be a farce. Every one of us has made such statements, and Ministers, too, and in time of war it is farcical for this kind of correction to be made.