HC Deb 19 February 1969 vol 778 cc473-5
Mr. Speaker

Sir Barnett Janner, to raise a point of order.

Sir Burnett Janner (Leicester, North-West)

Mr. Speaker, I had not intended to raise 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 specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely, the need for Her Majesty's Government to raise in the United Nations as a threat to world peace the attack on the Israeli aircraft at Zurich on 18th February, 1969, with a view to preventing further occurrences entailing danger to human life. The object of my application relates to a specific matter. It is one which is well known now to hon. Members, namely, that an attack was made on an aeroplane at Zurich by murderers who intended to kill and who obviously were frustrated from killing passengers in an airliner.

The facts are that this was part of the plot which is well known, and has been acknowledged to be a plot by the perpetrators of the crime and their allies who are supported by Arab members of the United Nations.

Mr. Speaker

Order. With respect, the hon. Member cannot debate in detail the merits of the subject of the application that he is making.

Sir B. Janner

I am trying to show how it is a specific matter relating to the United Nations, and bringing it within the purview of the House and its debates.

That this is an important matter nobody in the House can possibly deny, because it strikes at the very root of the safety of air travel by any nation in the world, including ourselves, and, in fact, would mean that for political purposes anyone could authorise people to attack planes, whatever they may be, and whatever nationality their passengers may be.

The matter is urgent in that the various Arab States have declared quite categorically that they are supporting the perpetrators of the crime, and consequently at any moment there may be a further attack of a similar nature, and life is at stake. The United Nations is entitled to deal with this matter because this is a threat to world peace, and, therefore, in the circumstances, I ask for leave to have an Adjournment debate.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member for Leicester, North West (Sir B. Janner) 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 need for Her Majesty's Government to raise in the United Nations as a threat to world peace the attack on the Israeli aircraft at Zurich on 18th February, 1969, with a view to preventing further occurrences entailing danger to human life. The House knows that under the revised procedure of Standing Order No. 9 Mr. Speaker is directed to take into account the several factors set out in the Order, but to give no reason for his decision. I have given careful consideration to the representations which the hon. Member has made to me. I have to rule that the submission does not fall within the provision of the revised Standing Order, and, therefore, I cannot submit his application to the House.

Mr. John Mendelson (Penistone)

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Without in any way wishing to question your decision on this case, I must say that there arises here a matter of general principle which arose on one occasion when I tried to move the Adjournment of the House on a matter concerned with a different area of the world, the Far East.

My point is whether the House can ever, under this Standing Order, have an opportunity to influence the conduct of Her Majesty's Government either in the Security Council or in the General Assembly of the United Nations.

I am raising the question whether you could, at a suitable time either today or after consideration, give some guidance to the House on whether this Standing Order precludes the desire of the House on many serious occasions to influence the action of Her Majesty's Government while the issue is still under debate, and while the House is still in the position of being able to influence the Government in their conduct in the United Nations. Will it forever be impossible to use this Standing Order for such a legitimate purpose?

Mr. Speaker

I thank the hon. Member for Penistone (Mr. John Mendelson) for putting the point so clearly. I must warn the House of its decision that Mr. Speaker must give no reasons and the importance of that decision. Once Mr. Speaker starts commenting on the reasons why he allows or does not allow a Standing Order No. 9 debate the House is beginning to go down the slippery slope to the position in which it found itself when it decided that the Rulings and precedents around Standing Order No. 9 were so detailed and binding that it had become almost impossible to get one. It is now possible to get a Standing Order No. 9 debate from time to time. I hope that the House will never ask me to give reasons for or against, or to comment on, my decision on a Standing Order No. 9 application.