HC Deb 22 November 1978 vol 958 cc1267-8
Mr. Grylls

I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely, the refusal of the Government to allow the Comptroller and Auditor General to report to the Public Accounts Committee on the activities of the National Enterprise Board. I could not give you notice of my application earlier, Mr. Speaker, because the Treasury minute was not published until 2.30 p.m. I gave you notice at the first opportunity and apologise for not having been able to do so earlier.

It is a specific matter because the NEB disposes of more than £1,000 million of taxpayers' money and, most important, the all-party Public Accounts Committee made clear in its last report that it does not feel that it can be as responsible as it should for accountability to Parliament if the Comptroller and Auditor General is not allowed to investigate and report on the various activities of the NEB.

The House, through the Public Accounts Committee, has expressed the clear view—there was no dissension among the hon. Members on the Committee—that the Comptroller and Auditor General should be allowed to go in and see what is going on. It is a specific and important matter. As the Public Accounts Committee has said, the NEB disposes of very large sums of public money, and if the Committee is to do its job properly it must know the facts.

I believe that the House will wish to debate the matter at the earliest opportunity. It has been raised on several occasions, and the Government and the NEB have shown an arrogant disregard of the wishes of Parliament to carry out its traditional duty of controlling the expenditure of taxpayers' money. I hope, therefore, that it will be possible for us to debate the matter at the earliest possible opportunity.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Gentleman did me the courtesy during Question Time of giving me notice that he would ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely, the refusal of the Government to allow the Comptroller and Auditor General to report to the Public Accounts Committee on the activities of the National Enterprise Board. The hon. Gentleman has raised an important question, but, as hon. Members know, I decide not whether the House will be able to debate the matter but merely whether it should debate it tonight or tomorrow. That is the only discretion allowed to me.

I listened carefully to what the hon. Gentleman said, but I have to rule that his submission does not fall within the provisions of the Standing Order, and I cannot, therefore, submit his application to the House.