PICKETING (REGISTRATION AND CONTROL) BILL (Hansard, 19 January 1978)

§ Mr. Clemitson
I wish, Mr. Speaker, briefly to raise a point of order of which I gave notice yesterday.
In the Official Report for yesterday, in answer to the question, Who will prepare and bring in the Bill? —that is, the Picketing (Registration and Control) Bill—the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) replied, The Prime Minister and myself, Sir." [Official Report, 18th January 1978; Vol. 942, c. 469.] 689 Hon. Members are then reported to have said "Oh!", which is a parliamentary expression covering a multitude of sins.
While I can understand that the hon. Member clearly needs all the help he can get in preparing the Bill, the question arises whether the backer of a Bill should be consulted before his name is appended to the list. The hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury may, of course, have consulted the Prime Minister about the matter and obtained his consent. However, I harbour certain doubts about that.
May I draw attention, Mr. Speaker, to a ruling given by the Speaker on 13th March, 1902, when he said of a new Standing Order in relation to Bills: Of course the practice will be subject to the same conditions as in the case of a Bill brought up from the Bar. The number of names will be limited and the hon. Member who puts them down will thereby guarantee that he has obtained permission to do so. While the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury has by no means exceeded the limit of the number of backers—indeed, he seems to be singularly lacking in helpers in bringing in the Bill—may I put it to you, Mr. Speaker, that the ruling precludes the adding of names of backers to a Bill when their consent has clearly not previously been obtained?

§ Mr. Eldon Griffiths
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. In the absence 690 of my hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley), may I say that I am quite sure that his only error—if, indeed, there was one—is that he imagined that the Prime Minister meant what he said?

§ Mr. Speaker
That is not much of a point of order. The hon. Member for Luton, East (Mr. Clemitson) correctly quoted the ruling of one of my predecessors. However, he will find that the only name attached to the dummy Bill is that of the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley). In view of the mood of the House yesterday, I consider myself fortunate that the hon. Gentleman did not add my name.