HC Deb 23 January 1974 vol 867 cc1646-8
Mr. George Cunningham

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I draw your attention to the fact that it is not now possible for an hon. Member to table a Question for oral reply by the Second Church Estates Commissioner, which it was possible to do up to about a year ago?

At that time, as I understand it, the hon. Member for Chelsea (Sir Marcus Worsley), the Second Church Estates Commissioner, was removed from the roster by the action of the usual channels which, in their usual way, did so without informing the House. The House has lost a right which I value, being a Member whose constituency contains many properties which are owned by the Church Commissioners. I wish to put some Questions to the Second Church Estates Commissioner for Oral Answer, as well as some for Written Answer.

I realise that, by tradition, the roster is a matter not for the Procedure Committee but for the usual channels and their secretive ways, but, as this matter closely affects the right of Members, I ask you to use your influence to have the hon. Member for Chelsea restored to the roster in his capacity as the Second Church Estates Commissioner and to ensure that in future if the usual channels have it in mind to remove somebody from the roster they take some steps to let the House know and to consult the House before that is done, rather than do things behind the backs of hon. Members.

The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. James Prior)

May I assure the House that no discourtesy of any sort was intended by the removal from the roster of my hon. Friend the Member for Chelsea (Sir Marcus Worsley), the Second Church Estates Commissioner.

The fact of the matter was that my hon. Friend was likely to be away at the United Nations on a permanent assignment for a number of months in the autumn, and it was therefore suggested through the usual channels that as so few Questions were put down to him it might be reasonable to remove him from the roster.

If we find that there is a demand for my hon. Friend to answer Questions, we shall be prepared to restore him to the roster at a time convenient to the rest of the House. What the House has to understand, however, is that if we restore my hon. Friend to the roster it will probably mean that some other hon. Member who has a Question down to another Minister will have just that much less time in which to have it dealt with. But that is something for the House to decide. We should want to meet the wishes of the House.

Sir Harmar Nicholls

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I think that my right hon. Friend's explanation is rather weak. To suggest that someone is removed from the roster because the Member who officially answers Questions is absent is not our usual practice. On many occasions when a Minister is absent, for all sorts of reasons, somebody is deputed to answer for him. I in no way object to the fact that by removing my hon. Friend's name from the roster more time is made available for other Questions, but I think that my right hon. Friend's explanation wants brushing up before it is accepted.

Mr. Faulds

May I declare an interest as a Member who has a Question to the Second Church Estates Commissioner? If the right hon. Gentleman finds it difficult to get someone from his side of the House to take on this onerous job, may I volunteer for it?

Mr. Prior

I am not certain that that would be in order, but what the other Church Estates Commissioners may feel about it might be of some importance.

Mr. Goronwy Roberts

Surely the restoration of the Second Church Estates Commissioner, or any other member, to the roster would not of itself infringe the possibility of another Minister having more time to answer his own Questions? If there were no Questions to the commissioner, the fact that he was on the register would not prejudice the rights of another Minister.

Mr. Prior

Of course not. We should have to put the Second Church Estates Commissioner back on the roster at, say, 3.25 on one afternoon. That would mean that if there were Questions to him, some other hon. Member would not get his Question, to another Minister, answered. If, on the other hand, there were no Questions to the commissioner, it would make no difference. It is as broad as it is long.

Mr. Speaker

This matter was raised as a point of order. I have listened with interest to the exchanges and the exciting possibilities that have been suggested. I think that there is no more for me to say.