§ Mr. PowellOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I ask you, as the general guardian of the interests of hon. Members, whether it has been brought to your attention that the Official Report for the sitting of a week ago last Friday is not yet available to hon. Members. This is a particular inconvenience—I use a weak word—not merely to hon. Members representing Northern Ireland constituencies but to the whole public in Northern Ireland, since the matters dealt with were of great importance to them and of great and complicated detail. I ask you whether you could use your own good offices to secure that this impediment is removed.
§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Michael Foot)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I recognise what the right hon. Member for Down, South (Mr. Powell) has said, and I think that "inconvenience" is a mild word to describe the position which has arisen. We shall do our best to overcome it. The failure to print that day's proceedings of the House of Commons arose owing to some industrial action of some form or other which occurred at that time, and 53 those engaged in the operation have been seeking to sustain the provision of papers for the House in the meantime. But I appreciate what the right hon. Gentleman has said and will try to see whether we can overcome the problem. Perhaps I can then seek to make a statement to the House.
§ Several Hon. Members rose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am not seeking to restrict the right of hon. Members to raise points of order, but I do not propose to take any more points of order—
§ Mr. MellishGood. Let us get on with the London debate.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The right hon. Member for Bermondsey (Mr. Mellish) has not been back with us for long on those Benches, and we shall be glad to hear him—when I call him. As I was saying, I do not propose to take any further points of order about tomorrow's business now.
§ Sir Frederic BennettOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker—
§ Mr. SpeakerIs this a new issue?
§ Sir Frederic BennettYes, Mr. Speaker. It is not on tomorrow's business but concerns last Thursday. You will remember telling me, charmingly as usual, that I had not searched my conscience deeply enough when you refused to allow me to raise a point of order which you have now allowed to be raised, but I make no complaint of that. I ask now whether, until and unless the Official Report of the business of last Friday week is available, we could not at least have photostat copies of Hansard made available to us.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am obliged to the hon. Gentleman, who knows that he occupies a special place in the House. He has been here for a very long time.
§ Mr. MellishToo long.
§ Mr. SpeakerThat may be thought about a lot of people. It is true that last week I said to the hon. Member for Torbay (Sir F. Bennett) that I would not allow his point of order, and yet I have allowed a similar one from the Front Bench today. But it has long been a custom in the House to allow a little extra 54 latitude to the Front Bench, which speaks for the whole of its side of the House. This custom has gone on a long time, and I intend to use my discretion in that regard.