HC Deb 30 November 1971 vol 827 cc250-1
Mr. Pavitt

On a point of order. May I seek your guidance, Mr. Speaker, on a new situation which has arisen over the answering of Questions. The House has recently decided that if an hon. Member puts down two oral Questions they should be split so that more hon. Members have an opportunity to put supplementary questions. It is not within the competence of the Chair to tell a Minister how to answer Questions, but if a Minister decides to answer several Questions together—for example, Nos. 1, 2 and 51—an hon. Member may have an opportunity to ask two supplementary questions, whereas an hon. Member who has a Question down before No. 51 is denied the opportunity of putting a first supplementary question. I seek your guidance on how to ensure that an hon. Member gets one Question answered before another hon. Member gets a second Question answered.

Mr. Skinner

Further to that point of order. I also need to seek your guidance, Mr. Speaker—[HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."]—of course I need to seek your guidance; I am always seeking it. Question No. 79 in my name appears on the Order Paper today to the Secretary of State for Employment. It was tabled by Me as a Question to the Prime Minister about how many deputations he has received. I see no reason, and the Table Office saw no reason, why it should not have been answered by the Prime Minister. I wished to ask whether the Prime Minister would take a ride in a three-wheeled disabled person's car, and he refused to answer. I have come to the conclusion that the Prime Minister is getting upset about the Questions I am tabling to him. However, it is a well known fact that my questions are tabled not with a view to unsetting the Prime Minister but to get information.

Mr. Speaker

Order. I am afraid that the hon. Member cannot continue to seek guidance in this way. I can give him the guidance at once that that is not a point of a order. These are not matters for the Chair. What I have said in answer to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) also applies to the point of order put by the hon. Member for Willesden, West (Mr. Pavitt). It is not a question for the Chair, but I am sure that the hon. Gentleman's remarks will have been noted.