HC Deb 24 March 1972 vol 833 cc1876-947

As Amended (in the Standing Committee), considered.

11.49 a.m.

Mr. Speaker

I have selected new Clause No. 3.

Mr. Anthony Fell (Yarmouth)

I wish to raise a point of order, Mr. Speaker, concerning the selection of Amendments and the time given to Members to consider the Amendments which have been selected. I realise that I can say nothing to you about the selection of the Amendments, but I am saddened that so few of the carefully drafted Amendments have been selected. Only one new Clause out of four or five has been chosen, together with only two groups of Amendments.

The matter which I wish to draw to your attention, Mr. Speaker—and I know full well that the House is in this difficulty on many Fridays—concerns the question of when Members are able to know, on a Friday or Thursday evening, the Amendments which are likely to be selected. Is it not possible to make an arangement to enable Members to know at, say, 10 o'clock or 10.15 on a Friday morning the likely selection of Amendments?

I realise the difficulty that Amendments could have been tabled last night—although in this case no Amendments were then tabled—which therefore could not have been considered by you until this morning. But if in a case like this, which I imagine is normal, no Amendments are tabled the night before, surely it is not impossible to publish a provisional selection of Amendments the night before or at 10 o'clock on Friday morning. That would facilitate Members enormously in the very difficult job of considering the Amendments.

Mr. Speaker

I am obliged to the hon. Gentleman for raising that point of order. I will carefully take into account what he has said. I now ask him to move the new Clause.

Mr. John Biggs-Davison (Chigwell)

Further to that point of order—

Mr. Speaker

Order. The Chair must occasionally take a decision that it will have no more points of order on a particular matter. The hon. Member for Yarmouth (Mr. Fell) has made his point of order and I have said that I will take it into account. I am not prepared to accept any other point of order on this matter.

Mr. Fell

I am grateful to you, Mr. Speaker, for your help.

  1. New Clause 3
      2. cc1877-912
    1. MINISTERIAL CIRCULARS 13,501 words, 1 division
  2. Clause 1
      3. cc1913-27
    1. PROVISION OF VOLUNTARY VASECTOMY SERVICES 5,366 words
  3. Clause 2
      4. cc1927-47
    1. REPORTS TO BE MADE AND RECORDS TO BE KEPT BY LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES 7,220 words
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