HC Deb 25 January 1979 vol 961 cc722-3
Mr. Andrew MacKay

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 effect of NUPE action in Birmingham". I suggest to you, Mr. Speaker, that this is a specific matter because today in the Birmingham area 300 miles of motorway around the city, heavily covered by snow which fell during the morning rush hour, were not gritted in any way because 270 motorway maintenance men, who are members of NUPE, were on strike. That, combined with the fact that there were no trains today, caused considerable danger to my constituents and other road users.

I further suggest to you, Mr. Speaker, that this matter is important because 46 cancer and radiotherapy patients were sent home from Queen Elizabeth hospital yesterday because of NUPE action. I am told that more are due to go home today. In total yesterday 120 patients were sent home, and a further 75 were sent home by noon today. It has been suggested to me that further patients will be sent home this afternoon. Yesterday 38 operations, some of them serious, were cancelled at the same hospital.

This matter is urgent. I quote from Mr. William Bond, the director of radiotherapy. Despite what the Secretary of State said, I consider that Mr. Bond is the man most likely to know whether his patients are in danger or at risk. He said: I am sure that some of these people will die because of this action. Finally, the matter is urgent, because the regional divisional organiser of NUPE, Mr. Barry Shuttleworth, said on commercial radio in Birmingham today that he believed the matter should be debated urgently in this House because he was worried about the effects of the action that his members were taking. Therefore, I believe that the matter should receive the urgent attention of the House.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member gave me notice before 12 o'clock this morning that he would seek 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 effect of NUPE action in Birmingham. The hon. Member has made a very serious statement, to which I listened with great care. He and the House know that it is for me to decide not whether this matter is to be debated but whether it is to be the subject of an emergency debate. That is the only power that I have.

I regret that his submission does not fall within the provisions of the Standing Order, and therefore I cannot submit his application to the House.