HC Deb 28 February 1978 vol 945 cc241-2
Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop

Pursuant to Standing Order No. 9, Mr. Speaker, I seek leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter which should have urgent consideration, namely, the failure of the Secretary of State for the Environment to reply to the third part of priority Written Question No. 90W yesterday in the name of the hon. Member for Tiverton, namely, whether the Government will reimburse local authorities the costs of dealing with the effects of the blizzard in excess of a penny rate and whether these payments will apply to the cost of repairing the damage done to road surfaces. The matter is specific because widespread damage has in fact been caused to road surfaces in Devon and elsewhere by the recent blizzard and the ensuing floods.

The matter is important because the damage to road surfaces is of a nature which literally endangers the lives of those travelling on them.

The matter deserves urgent consideration because, until local authorities know whether expenditure on making good this damage will rank for 75 per cent, central Government grant pari passu with other allowable expenditure resulting from the effects of the blizzard and the ensuing floods, they cannot plan and execute the necessary operations with the speed necessary to minimise risk to life and property.

With reference to paragraph 4 of Standing Order No. 9, the Minister of State, Department of the Environment accepted ministerial responsibility for answering Questions about such compensation by his statement to the House on Thursday 23rd February. By failing to refer in any way to this specific and important matter either in the statement which he appended to his Answer to the aforesaid priority Written Question yesterday, or in his Answer to that Question, the Minister has brought about a situation wherein only by the operation of Standing Order No. 9 can this specific and urgent matter be brought before the House in time". I quote from paragraph 4.

I submit respectfully that this application complies with the requirements of Standing Order No. 9 and is proper to be discussed thereunder. I request respectfully, further, that because of the urgency of the matter, you, Mr. Speaker, should exercise your power to order that motion to be debated at 7 o'clock tonight.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member for Tiverton (Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop), with his customary courtesy, not only gave me notice that he proposed to make this application but gave me the details of what he intended to say this afternon, so that I had full opportunity to consider the matter.

The hon. Member wishes to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9 for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter which he believes should have urgent consideration, namely, the failure of the Secretary of State for the Environment to reply to the third part of priority Written Question No. 90W yesterday in the name of the hon. Member for Tiverton, namely, whether the Government will reimburse local authorities the cost of dealing with the effects of the blizzard in excess of a penny rate and whether these payments will apply to the cost of repairing the damage done to road surfaces. It is for me to decide not whether the matter is to be debated but merely, as the hon. Member asks me, whether it shall have prority over the business for this day and be debated tonight.

I have considered the hon. Member's statement, but I regret that I cannot accede to his application.