HC Deb 15 March 1967 vol 743 cc516-7
Mr. Brooks

On a point of order. I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9 for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the suspension today of 102 students at the London School of Economics for three months. The events at the L.S.E. during the last three or four months have caused mounting anxiety and apprehension among large sections of the community, and not least among Members of the House. The House is well aware of the real danger of appearing to Intervene in matters which appertain to academic freedom, but the events of today which have been disclosed in the Press—

Mr. Speaker

Order. The hon. Member must not address himself to the merits of the issue he seeks to raise.

Mr. Brooks

I fully accept your Ruling Mr. Speaker.

I was about to refer to the news which has appeared today and been published in many papers that, as a result of certain altercations and disturbances in the early hours of this morning, 102 students at the L.S.E. have been suspended for three months.

I am sure that this is a matter which is definite, and it is perhaps almost certainly definite that it will have yet wider repercussions. I am sure that it is urgent, because as a result of these repercussions it will affect many other universities in a matter of hours. It is a matter of public importance. It has been apparent for many days that the Press has ventilated public concern at the events which have led up to this suspension.

I do not wish in any way even to imply a judgment upon the merits of this action, but I am asking that on this issue, on which Parliament has argued that it has no discretion, there is now, as a result of this suspension, an obvious problem, not least affecting the grants which, presumably, will either be paid or not paid to the students so suspended. To the extent that that is the responsibility of both national and local government, particularly in giving advice to local education authorities, I would urge that this matter be ventilated by debate in the House to see whether an independent inquiry should be carried out into the merits of the dispute at the London School of Economics.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member for Bebington (Mr. Brooks) asks for leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the suspension today of 102 students at the London School of Economics for three months. What the hon. Gentleman is asking is that we suspend the consideration of the debate set down today for a period, so that we may discuss under Standing Order No. 9 the matter which he seeks to raise.

Among the Rules which regulate Adjournment debates under Standing Order No. 9 is that which declares that the subject matter must involve the administrative responsibility of the Government. The precedents show that Motions have been disallowed because the matter raised was one for which another authority was immediately responsible.

For example, if a local authority, a provincial police authority, a statutory authority, or a judicial authority is more directly responsible than the Government of the day, then the Motion for the Adjournment under Standing Order No. 9 cannot be invoked. In present circumstances, it is clear that the application for leave to move the Adjournment under Standing Order No. 9 has to be refused, because I am bound by the precedents to take that course and I cannot put the hon. Gentleman's application to the House.