QUESTIONS TO THE PRIME MINISTER (Hansard, 4 April 1978)

§ Mr. Heffer
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I am sorry to hold up the business of the House, but you will recall that before the recess a number of my hon. Friends—I personally did not raise the matter on that occasion, although I agreed with them—pointed out that, during the brief quarter of an hour that the Prime Minister was answering Questions, the Leader of the Opposition took not just one, two or three questions, but on occasion went beyond that. I understand that at the time you assured the House that there was nothing that we could do about it, except to encourage the Members concerned to be circumspect about this matter.
May I ask you, Mr. Chairman, that you go beyond that—[Interruption.] Mr. 238 Speaker happens to be the Chairman as well as the Speaker.
May I ask you, Mr. Speaker, that you go beyond that and have discussions with the Front Bench concerned, as many hon. Members on both sides of the House who have further Questions should be allowed to ask those Questions and supplementary questions rather than have the right hon. Lady monopolising the whole of the quarter of an hour, which can get worse because we are now in fact on radio?

Several Hon. Members
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Let me answer that point of order first.

§ Mr. Faulds
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
There is no further point of order on that matter. It has been the custom, ever since I have been in the House, that the Leader of the Opposition will from time to time come back on Questions at least three times. Hon. Members have it within their own memories, and I certainly—

§ Mr. Faulds
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. There is no further point of order on that matter.

§ Mr. Faulds
But there is, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order.

§ Mr. Faulds
There is, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order.

§ Mr. Faulds
There is an Early-Day Motion.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman must do the same as I do and count to ten.

§ Mr. Faulds
On another point of order, Mr. Speaker. Since the microphones are now off, and since my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer) raised the point that I first raised on the Floor of the House, and since there is already on the Order Paper an Early-Day Motion standing in my name and the names of about 60 or 70 other hon. Members criticising the behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition during Prime Minister's Question Time, may I strongly endorse the argument advanced by my hon. Friend?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. There are two errors there. Number one is that, although Question Time was being broadcast live, the proceedings are still being recorded. That was the first mistake.
Number two is that we are not now going to have debates about the Leader of the Opposition and her time at Question Time.

§ Mr. Ridley
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is it not the fact that we hear a great deal more from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer) than from my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition? Could we not, in recording policy, reverse that trend?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I think that it may seem so to the hon. Gentleman.

§ Mr. Gwilym Roberts
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Heffer
The right hon. Lady has nothing to say. That is the trouble with her.

§ Mr. Gwilym Roberts
Although I have Question No. 3 to the Prime Minister, unlike my colleagues, I am not objecting to the frequent interventions by the Leader of the Opposition. I feel that she contributes to the Labour movement and to this side of the House every time she appears at the Dispatch Box.

§ Mr. Speaker
I do not know what the point of order was.