HC Deb 06 March 1972 vol 832 cc1039-40
Mr. Merlyn Rees

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. On Saturday last a terrible and indefensible bombing incident took place in Belfast which killed two people and injured 136 others. Is this not a serious enough matter to warrant a Government statement today?

Mr. Speaker

That is not a point of order for me.

Rev. Ian Paisley

Further to the point of order, Mr. Speaker. Would it not be in order for the Government to make a statement about the incident in the City of Belfast referred to by the hon. Member for Leeds, South (Mr. Merlyn Rees)? If this had happened in any other part of the United Kingdom surely the Minister responsible would have given a full statement to the House. I would like to take this opportunity to press on the Government that it is their duty to give us a statement as soon as possible about this very distressing matter which has stunned the whole community not only in Northern Ireland but throughout the United Kingdom.

The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. William Whitelaw)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. There is no one in the House who would not be most upset by the incident in Belfast on Saturday morning. I imagine all right hon. and hon. Gentlemen are extremely upset and will wish to express their deep distress to the families of those who have been either bereaved or injured in the tragedy. It has not been the custom in the past to make such statements in the House, and there has been no departure from precedent. But I take note of the House's feeling, and shall report it to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

Mr. Harold Wilson

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that. We naturally assumed that there would be a statement on so grave and evil an outrage, which the whole House will condemn, as some of us did on Saturday evening when we heard the news. But if we cannot feel that on anything of this scale there will automatically be a statement, it will be necessary for hon. Members to seek to ask a Private Notice Question. On other outrages Private Notice Questions have been allowed in the past. My hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, South (Mr. Merlyn Rees) assumed there would be a statement, and so did not seek to ask a Private Notice Question. In addition to drawing the Home Secretary's attention to the desire of the House that there should be a statement, will the right hon. Gentleman, if outrages of this kind are to continue, consider how statements and questions on them should be handled for the benefit of the House?

Mr. Whitelaw

I would naturally respond to the Leader of the Opposition and what I also take to be the feelings of the House. I will consult the Home Secretary on these matters.