§ Mr. PavittOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I know that you have no jurisdiction over Ministers, but you have a duty to protect back benchers. Yesterday on the tapes it emerged that the Secretary of State for Social Services was to issue his long awaited statement on the complete reorganisation of the National Health Service. This point has been pressed in this House for some time. We have been awaiting this important document, because one consequence of the discussion will be a complete change of every committee.
This is the third in a series. There have been two similar documents previously. On each previous occasion the Secretary of State has made a statement to the House and in consequence there has been an exchange. The last occasion was 11th February, 1970. Hon. Members will find that at c. 1255 there was a heavy exchange about the results of the document being introduced.
Therefore, I ask whether it is possible for you, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that in future such documents are presented to the House first, not to the Press, and that when they are presented there is an opportunity for exchanges. As it is a Green Paper consultative document, there will be an opportunity of pursuing it later, but it is helpful if at the outset we can have an initial look at the matters being put before us.
§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. William Whitelaw)Further to that point of order. It is only fair to the hon. Member for Willesden, West (Mr. Pavitt) and to the House that I should make clear the policy which I have stated to the House before and which I understood to have general acceptance. It was that as we wish to limit the number 1081 of statements, and, therefore, the interference with the normal business of the House on any particular day, in future statements would not be made when White Papers or consultative documents were being published which could be considered and thereafter no doubt at some stage be discussed in the House. I thought that it was generaly accepted by the House that statements on the day of introduction of such documents would not normally be given in future.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe point has been ventilated. It is not a point of order. It is a matter which could appropriately be put on the business statement. The Chair is put in a difficulty when this kind of matter is raised as a point of order. I do not think it is anything to do with order. However, the point has been made.