HC Deb 18 June 1974 vol 875 cc209-10
Mr. Skinner

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You will have noticed that when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister answered Question No. Q1 he linked with it Question No. Q10. Subsequently, I rose on a number of occasions, but you refused to call me, despite the fact that my Question No. Q11 was in almost exactly similar terms to the two which were grouped and answered.

Recently, a Select Committee of the House considered the whole matter of Question Time. Taking into account its recommendations about the number of identical Questions that could be answered, that it expected that you would take into account the fact that a good many Questions would be answered that were similar, and also bearing in mind that on this occasion only two Questions—No Q1 and No. Q10—were linked, it seems to me, considering what was said by the Select Committee, that it should have been possible—perhaps more than possible; indeed, highly probable—to call me to put a supplementary question on the subject of public ownership, and that perhaps it might well have been a good gesture on your part to give me a chance on subsequent Questions to my right hon. Friend which also covered this general matter. I hope you will look into this matter seriously.

Mr. Speaker

I have listened carefully to the hon. Gentleman. The grouping of Questions is not for me but for the Minister concerned. With regard to the hon. Gentleman's complaint about not being called, I would have thought that he was the very last Member in the House to complain about not being called.