CENSURE OF SPEAKER

Press, Volume C, Issue 29436, 11 February 1961, Page 13

CENSURE OF SPEAKER

Labour Move In Commons

(Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, February 10.

The Labour Party last night tabled a motion of censure on the Deputy-Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Gordon Touche.

Sir Gordon Touche presided over a bitter debate in the House on Wednesday night on increased charges for the national health service. The censure motion regretted his action in accepting a motion for closure of the debate “thereby infringing the rights of minorities by such acceptance when large numbers of members still wished to speak and the Minister had not yet replied to points made during the debate.” , Since 1945, there have been a number of motions censuring the Speaker or his deputy, but no resignations have resulted.

Early debate on the motion is expected, with Sir Gordon Touche’s case being put by the Leader of the House. Mr R. A. Butler.

Tempers became frayed during the debate—which went on into the early hours of the morning—as Labour members protested at the Government's proposals to increase health service charges by £B5 million a year. The sitting closed in an uproar of booing and shouting punctuated by the slinging of paper balls across the debating chamber. The Commons had a comparatively quiet session last night in giving a second reading—agreement in principle—to a bill to increase the charges for false teeth and spectacles under the health service.

Still protesting against the proposals, Labour members chanted "resign, resign, resign," when the voting figures were announced. These were 299 to 223—a Government majority of 76.