QUESTION TO PRIME MINISTER (Hansard, 27 February 1969)

§ Mr. Arthur Lewis
On a point of order. May I draw your attention, Mr. Speaker, to Question No. Q3, to the Prime Minister? This Question has already been answered by an official statement on the B.B.C.'s one o'clock news, when full details were given. [Laughter.] This is no laughing matter. Hon. Members may laugh, but—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I want to hear the point of order.

§ Mr. Lewis
The right of the hon. Member concerned, my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesend (Mr. Murray), to have the Question answered or postponed, has been circumvented. Is it not a grave discourtesy to my hon. Friend and the House, and a possible breach of privilege, that this official statement should have been given to the B.B.C. by the Prime Minister, or issued from his office, thus depriving an hon. Member of his right?

§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)
Further to that point of order. No statement has been made either to the B.B.C. or to the Press about the terms of the Answer that is being given. Nothing has been said—

§ Mr. Arthur Lewis
Where did the B.B.C. get it from?

§ The Prime Minister
Nothing has been said on this Answer either about my hope to visit Sweden or about the date on which I shall be visiting Sweden. This was speculation. [HON. MEMDERS: "You tell us."] I happen to know the facts—hon. Members may wish to rush into their own version—because my hon. Friend was courteous enough to give me notice of his point of order. I have found that there was some Press interest in this Question—

§ Mr. Arthur Lewis
Naturally.

§ The Prime Minister
Naturally.
The Press thought, incorrectly, that this is what is technically known as an arranged Question. My hon. Friend knows that it is not an arranged Question has been made that the Question an arranged Question. I have had to have some speedy discussions with the Swedish Government in order to be able to give an answer to my hon. Friend about the date. But no—[Interruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. We must hear the Prime Minister.

§ The Prime Minister
Since the suggestion has been made that the Question has been anticipated by a statement from my office, I repeat that that is not true. This was the result of speculation about the fact that the Question was on the Order Paper.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I cannot call about six hon. Members to a point of order simultaneously. Mr. Thorpe.

§ Mr. Arthur Lewis
Further to the point of order.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Arthur Lewis) has no prescriptive right to address the House.

§ Mr. Arthur Lewis
On a point of order.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I must remind the hon. Gentleman that we are on the point of order which he began.

§ Mr. Thorpe
Further to the point of order. So that we can fully appreciate the Prime Minister's statement, can he tell us what an arranged Question is?

§ Mr. Arthur Lewis
May I apologise to the Prime Minister and say that I was not aware that this information did not come from No. 10 Downing Street? But as it was on the B.B.C, it sounded like an official statement. In view of the fact that it sounded like an official statement—and yesterday a Minister made a statement after it had been in the Press—will my right hon. Friend seek to discover how the B.B.C. got it from No. 10?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. We have a lot of business ahead of us.

§ Mr. Murray
Further to that point of order.

§ Mr. Wyatt
Further to that point of order.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I must be serious for a moment. I can call only one Member at a time. The House is losing something. It must behave better.

§ Mr. Murray
Further to that point of order. I should point out that I am grateful for having so many friends at this time. The Question was not arranged. I am glad that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister dealt with it so speedily when I put it down. It was not inspired, but it was, I hope, inspiring.

§ Sir D. Glover
Further to the point of order. If the Prime Minister is thinking of sending out an official message, will he make certain that he informs Chancellor Kiesinger and President de Gaulle first?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. We are passing from the realms of points of order.

§ Mr. Wyatt
May I respectfully point out that, whereas the Bank Rate has gone up to 8 per cent., the rate of Answers given by the Prime Minister today has dropped to 5 per cent.?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The Chair judged the first question to be especially important, and therefore allowed a lot of supplementary questions.