HC Deb 28 February 1978 vol 945 c240
Mr. Skinner

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You will see that on the front page of today's Order Paper there is a whole series of what are known as blocking motions relating to Private Bills. This device is well known to everyone in the House as being one which hon. Members in any part of the House may use in order to stop a Private Bill from proceeding for at least a certain period of time.

However, there is another problem in respect of which we are not able to use procedures which are available to deal with other Bills and in respect of blocking motions which do not appear on the Order Paper about such Bills as the Government's proposed Electricity Bill, which is not being brought before the House because of the antics and blocking motions in private by the Liberal Party—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh!"] In this new constitutional situation, where a Liberal spokesman in this House—Penhaligon or—hooligan, or whatever his name is—is stopping this proposed Bill from appearing on the Order Paper, since you are able at the appropriate moment to give time in the House for debates to take place on these Private Bills, I want to know why we are prevented from having a proposed Government Bill debated and voted upon as we wish. We want to see more jobs created as a result of the Bill's provisions being implemented. I want to know what powers we have to see that the Bill is brought before the House so that we can consider it, resolve it and get the necessary jobs arising from it.

Mr. Speaker

I must tell the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) that I know nothing at all about this matter and that he must pursue it in the normal way with his right hon. Friends.

Mr. Skinner

I have done.

Mr. Speaker

I realise that I am very often the last resort.