HC Deb 17 July 1968 vol 768 cc1441-4
Mr. Dalyell

I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9 for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely, the future of the British nuclear power industry. The matter is urgent because these decisions will soon become irreversible, it is dsfinite because of the Minister's statement this afternoon and it is important because it is crucial to the long-term fuel policy of the nation.

Mr. Speaker

Might I point out to the House that it is customary, if possible, for an hon. Member to give notice that he seeks to raise a matter under Standing Order No. 9. I gather, however, from the hon. Member's statement that it was not possible to do so and that it was not until he had heard the statement of the Minister this afternoon that he took the course that he has taken.

The hon. Member asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely, the future of the British nuclear power programme". The House will remember the conditions under which I apply the revised Standing Order No. 9 and that I am to give no reason for my decision.

I have to rule that the hon. Member's submission does not fall within the provisions of the revised Standing Order and, therefore, I cannot submit his application to the House.

Mr. Michael Foot

On a point of order. I understand what you have said to the House, Mr. Speaker, about the desirability of giving notice to Mr. Speaker if it is the intention of an hon. Member to try to invoke the provisions of the Standing Order. Will you, however, stress to the House that there is no prejudice against an hon. Member seeking to follow that procedure after a statement has been made from the Government Front Bench? It would deprive us considerably of the value of the Standing Order if it was not possible for hon. Members to raise the matter immediately following a statement which has been made from the Front Bench. Therefore, although I think that you said this, Mr. Speaker, it would be of great value to the House if you would stress it.

Mr. Speaker

I thought that the House would have heard that I said, in my own halting words, exactly what the hon. Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. Michael Foot) has said so much more eloquently. There obviously may be occasions when what takes place in the House gives rise to a desire on the part of an hon. Member to seek to raise a matter under Standing Order No. 9. Obviously, that would not prejudice his chances.

Sir G. Nabarro

Further to the point of order. It will be within your recollection, Mr. Speaker, that at 8 o'clock this morning, being the earliest time possible, I came to your office to table a Private Notice Question—

Mr. Speaker

Order. The hon. Member may inform the House that he came to my office to raise a Private Notice Question. He is not allowed in any way to indicate the nature of the Private Notice Question.

Sir G. Nabarro

Of course not, Mr, Speaker. If you had allowed me to complete my sentence, I would have related it to the point of order raised by the hon. Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. Michael Foot). Only two recourses are available to private Members to raise matters of urgent public importance. The first is by Private Notice Question, the second is under Standing Order No. 9. I chose the first recourse—

Mr. Speaker

It will not be beyond the intelligence of the House that the hon. Member is indicating now the nature of the Private Notice Question he was seeking to raise this morning. He cannot do that.

Sir G. Nabarro

I will endeavour to complete what I have to put to you, Mr. Speaker, without reference to it. I shall allude only to the matter raised by the hon. Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. Michael Foot), as I am rising further to his point of order. The two matters are linked.

You cannot give your Ruling in the matter of a Private Notice Question, Mr. Speaker, till after midday. Would it not be possible, for the convenience of hon. Members faced with the dilemma that we do not know your decision until so late in the day, for the decision to be taken earlier in the day and for it to be posted in a place where we can all see it? It is not always possible for hon. Members who come here early in the morning to take your counsel and seek your advice about submitting a matter of urgent public importance and bringing that before the House to be waiting in the Lobbies till about one, two or three o'clock, awaiting your decision.

Would it not be possible for the decision to be posted in the Lobby earlier in the day, so that hon. Members would know what recourse they may have when dealing with an urgent matter of this sort?

Mr. Speaker

I am completely sympathetic with the point of order that the hon. Member has raised. The simple fact is that an application to submit a Private Notice Question may be made until 12 o'clock. It is not until 12 o'clock that Mr. Speaker is in a position to decide all the many factors which govern his admission or rejection of all the Private Notice Questions that have by then been submitted. I understand that, once Mr. Speaker has made his decision on any hon. Member's Private Notice Question, then as soon as possible the information goes to that hon. Member.

Following the line of the hon. Member's question, it would not be possible for Mr. Speaker, just after 8 o'clock, to reply to a submission of a Private Notice Question. The hon. Member must wait till 12 o'clock.

Sir G. Nabarro

Further to the point of order—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] We are on a very important matter which affects every private Member. Is there any special sanctity about the hour of 12 midday? I am aware that it is unreasonable to ask Mr. Speaker to consider these matters at such an early hour as 8 o'clock in the morning. I am not asking for that. All I am asking is that the decision might be given at, perhaps, 10 o'clock. Could we not alter 12 midday to an earlier hour, which would help hon. Members faced with this dilemma?

Mr. Speaker

This would penalise hon. Members who have not the same early habits as the hon. Member for Worcestershire, South (Sir G. Nabarro) and Mr. Speaker, who, like the hon. Member, is also on duty at 8 o'clock in the morning.