§ Dr. WinstanleyOn a point of order. It is frequently necessary for you, Mr. Speaker, to remind hon. Members during business questions that in seeking time for a Motion to be debated it is not permitted to refer to the merits of a Motion. When I raised such a matter at business question time last week, on a Motion signed by hon. Members of all parties, the Leader of the House concluded his reply by saying:
I … think that the Motion is unworthy of debate."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 22nd June 1967 Vol. 748, c. 1965.]My point of order, which I raise so that I may be guided in case this matter arises again, is the extent to which the Leader of the House is exempted from the provisions of a rule which is applied to all other hon. Members.
§ Mr. SpeakerAgain, I have very much sympathy with the hon. Member. In reply to the first part of his point of order, it would be wrong if business question time became a time for debating the merits of the various subjects which hon. Members wish to bring before the House. I must be firm on that. I cannot be responsible for the way in which a Minister answers a question even if the Minister is Leader of the House.
Mr. Heath. Business question.