HC Deb 08 July 1971 vol 820 cc1522-3
Mr. Harold Wilson

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Sir C. Taylor

On a point of order—

Mr. Speaker

Does the Leader of the Opposition wish to raise a point of order?

Mr. Harold Wilson

Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order about some earlier questions. You in your discretion decided to foreclose—nobody complains about that—the questions about a referendum, but the Prime Minister had just extended his answer on the referendum on the basic question, which he and I had already agreed, by saying that, as the Press had approved his White Paper yesterday, my questions clearly fell. As the Prime Minister raised the question about the Press, I should have thought that it might have been in order for some of us to put a question or two about his answer, because his answer did not refer to a referendum.

Mr. Speaker

The Chair is in a difficulty in these matters. The attempt to get on and to get as many Questions asked as possible occasionally leads the Chair into trouble. If an answer has gone rather beyond the question it is very difficult to stop it. I think however that Southend restored the balance of the referendum. We had 11 minutes on Southend.

Sir C. Taylor

Mr. Speaker, with the greatest respect, we did not have 11 minutes on the question of Southend. That was questions asked by the Leader of the Opposition on V.A.T. and it, had nothing at all to do with Southend. It seems extraordinary that the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition should raise questions on V.A.T. and then complain that his other questions are not answered, all on the Question tabled by the hon. Member for Chester-le-Street (Mr. Pentland) about Southend. I am afraid that I have forgotten, and I think that many hon. Members will now have forgotten, whether the Prime Minister is to make an official visit to Southend.

Mr. Speaker

I suggest that we leave it there.

Mr. Crouch

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I remind you that last week I drew your attention to the rather ridiculous situation in which the Prime Minister is invited to make visits to all sorts of odd and sundry places. This afternoon we have had a very good illustration of what that device produced. It produced the Leader of the Opposition on his feet again when there was no real case for him.

Sir S. McAdden

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Southend is not an "odd and sundry" place.

Mr. Harold Wilson

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I was content to leave the question of the siting of the office to my hon. Friends and my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Stechford (Mr. Roy Jenkins). It was the Prime Minister who drew me into the question by his references to the V.A.T. and the Common Market.

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