HC Deb 04 February 1965 vol 705 cc1288-90
Mr. Speaker

Sir Alec Douglas-Home. Business question.

Mr. Rowland

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I respectfully ask why you are not calling my Private Notice Question to the Minister of Aviation on the question of the announcement of redundancies by Hawker-Siddeley Aviation, especially in view of the great public interest about the calculation on which the company's statement was based yesterday?

Mr. Speaker

I have the greatest possible sympathy with the hon. Member's anxiety. These problems confront the Chair with a great difficulty in exercising its discretion. I admit it. I did not allow the hon. Gentleman's Question, because I did not think it right in the circumstances to do so. It has never been our practice that the Chair should give publicly reasons for allowing or disallowing a Private Notice Question, and my instinct is that the House would not like me to start. If the hon. Gentleman wants his personal curiosity satisfied I shall be glad to do it in private.

Mr. Shinwell

Further to the submission made by my hon. Friend, on this point of view, Mr. Speaker, do you recall that the other day you allowed a Private Notice Question to be submitted by the right hon. Member for Monmouthshire (Mr. Thorneycroft) and that the right hon. Gentleman subsequently admitted that he did not expect an answer? Do you also realise that the statement made by the Hawker-Siddeley firm, to the effect that 14,000 men—[HON. MEMBERS: "Order."]—will be dismissed as a result of the Government's aircraft policy has no foundation in fact—[HON. MEMBERS: "Order."]—and that that is my principal point of order?

Mr. Speaker

Order. The right hon. Gentleman must be good about this. I do not really concede the right of an hon. Member to ask the reasons why a Private Notice Question is allowed or disallowed. It is a matter in which our practice confers discretion on the Chair. I may be thought guilty of allowing—if I may say so—statements improperly associated with a so-called point of order if I allowed a discussion on the facts of it.

Mr. Shinwell

I am obliged to you, Mr. Speaker, for your suggestion that I should be good. I always try to be good, and on this occasion I will respond to your request. All I was about to say—and this was to be my final observation—was that the statement that appeared is calculated—[HON. MEMBERS: "Order."]—

Mr. Speaker

Order. The right hon. Gentleman will forgive me, but his efforts at being good were not wholly successful. Should I allow him to continue he might get me in "bad".