RHODESIA (Hansard, 26 June 1973)

§ Mr. Callaghan
On a point of order. I understand that a number of Members, including myself, submitted questions to you, Mr. Speaker, this morning on the important matter of the reason for the recall of Sir Denis Greenhill from Rhodesia. You, Sir, in your discretion, very properly disallowed them.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I must remind the right hon. Gentleman that it is the convention of the House that no reference is made to a Private Notice Question which has been refused.

§ Mr. Callaghan
I beg your pardon, Mr. Speaker; I was not aware of that. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] We all live and learn, Mr. Speaker.
What I wished to ask was whether, in view of the importance of this matter and the fact that the House would not apparently have known of the visit if it had not been for the "leak" from Rhodesia, the Leader of the House or the Prime Minister would convey to the Foreign Secretary the fact that we should like a full explanation of what took place and why the House was not informed before the debate takes place tomorrow so that we may see in what circumstances discussions had been going on.

§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. James Prior)
Perhaps I may help the House. A two-day foreign affairs debate will begin tomorrow. It is the intention of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to open the debate—in other words, to speak first—and it will be his intention during his speech to deal fully with the matter which the right hon. Member for Cardiff, South-East (Mr. Callaghan) has mentioned. I think that that would be for the convenience of the House, and I hope that hon. Members will accept it.

§ Mr. Harold Wilson
While no one may question your ruling, Mr. Speaker, and although we know that in all these matters you are concerned with the other business of the House as well as the time taken on statements, nevertheless, as the Leader of the House has made a quasi-business statement, would it not be more convenient if we had a statement from the Foreign Secretary tomorrow before the debate begins, instead of during the debate, which will range widely over important issues of foreign and commonwealth affairs? We know why the right hon. Gentleman cannot do it today—he is not in the country. If necessary, I might seek to ask a Private Notice Question on business tomorrow, a practice which I think is normally accepted. We might well have gone through the two-day debate without knowing about the Rhodesian visit but for the "leak".

§ Sir Harmar Nicholls
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is it in order for the two Front Benches to twist the rules of the House in this way? Permission to ask a Private Notice Question was apparently refused but in fact the question is being asked and answered in a twisted way, which has done harm—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. This is a matter for me. It is the convention, I think, that on points of order questions may be asked about business. That is all that has happened today, and it is all I shall permit. The House has a great deal to do today.