§ Mr. BrintonI 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 announcement yesterday by the Central Electricity Generating Board that in June it is to close the power station at Grain, near Rochester in Kent.I believe this matter to be most urgent because about 2,000 persons will lose their jobs as a result of that decision, in an area where unemployment is already high. There is also urgent need for a full and thorough inquiry into the events which led to that decision by the CEGB.There is urgent need to discover what would be the intention of the CEGB and the Government as regards the future of the vast site on which it is estimated that about £550 million has already been spent.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman gave me notice before noon today 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 announcement yesterday by the Central Electricity Generating Board that in June it is to close the power station at Grain, near Rochester in Kent.As the House knows, under Standing Order No. 9 I am directed to take account of the several factors set out in the order but to give no reasons for my decision. I listened with care to the hon. Gentleman expressing his anxieties about what is likely to happen in June, but I have to rule that his submission does not fall within the provisions of the Standing Order, and therefore I cannot submit his application to the House.