§ Mr. Ron LewisOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. One of the characteristics of the present Government is their continued success in bypassing this House and its Members.
On Thursday 4th January I received a telephone call asking whether I would be at home on Friday 5th January to receive a very confidential and important letter from the Home Office. I replied that I would be at home, and I looked forward to receiving this letter on the Friday. Unfortunately, no letter came. I waited for the second post to arrive, but still no letter came.
In the meantime I received several telephone messages asking whether I would care to comment on the Home Office's decision to sell off the Carlisle State Management Scheme. I replied that I could not comment because I had not seen any details.
My point of order is whether it is possible—I am glad the Prime Minister is here, because I have written to him about this matter—when anything like this happens, although I hope that it will not happen again, for Members of this House to be treated in the same way as the Press; that is, that they will receive a copy well in advance with the embargo that the Press has received. That would certainly have saved me considerable embarrassment. Unfortunately, it took two days for a first-class letter to reach my home, which is about 150 miles from here. This is absolutely shocking and disgraceful and certainly an insult to my constituents.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member has raised what he describes as a point of order and I have listened patiently to him. He treats me with courtesy, and I try to do the same to him, but the matter that he has raised is not a point of order. It is a matter which should be raised with those in authority. It has nothing to do with the Standing Orders which I have to administer. The hon. Member has made his point, but it is not a point of order.
§ Later——
§ Mr. LewisOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I gave notice to your office that I wished to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9 in order to discuss the important matter of the sale of the Carlisle and District State Management Scheme.
§ Mr. SpeakerWe are long past that stage, I am afraid. The hon. Member chose to raise a point of order. He did not make his application at the proper time.
§ Mr. LewisFurther to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I gave your office due notice that I wished to raise a point of order and also to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9. Something has gone wrong.
§ Mr. SpeakerSomething certainly went wrong, because I am told that the hon. Member gave notice at 2.20 p.m. If the hon. Gentleman looks at the Standing Order he will find that the notice must be given before 12 o'clock.