§ Mr. CormackI 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 effects of the current industrial unrest in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in particular the threats presented to the welfare of hospital patients and the disruption of local authority services.When I made a similar application last Thursday, Mr. Speaker, you were kind enough to indicate that, if I should repeat the submission today and you felt that the circumstances still warranted it, you would grant a debate.I do not want to detain the House any longer at this juncture, but I wish to say that I believe that the circumstances still warrant a debate. Perhaps I may give merely one illustration. My right hon. Friend the Member for Stafford and Stone (Mr. Fraser) has just told me that news has come through on the tapes of a funeral party being kept waiting at a cemetery. It cannot go through with the funeral. That one horrible, tragic illustration shows the sort of situation we face.
I urge you, Mr. Speaker, to grant this request.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member gave me notice this morning that he would seek leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he believes should have urgent consideration. namely,
the effects of the current industrial unrest in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in particular the threats presented to the welfare of hospital patients and the disruption of local authority services.31 The hon. Member is quite right: on Thursday last, I told the House that I would consider his application today. I listened carefully to what he said, and I am satisfied that the matter raised by the hon. Gentleman is proper to be discussed under Standing Order No. 9. Does the hon. Gentleman have the leave of the House?
§ The leave of the House having been given, the motion stood over, under Standing Order No. 9 (Adjournment on specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration), until Seven o'clock this evening.