§ Mr. Bob Cryer (Keighley)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You may recall that before the Summer Recess there was a discussion between yourself and hon. Members about the length of time of business questions. You indicated that you wished strenuously to avoid curtailment. The method you adopted, which seemed to us extremely sensible, was to allow sufficient time roughly to enable all hon. Members standing at the beginning of questions, if they were prompt, to have a chance to ask a question. Many hon. Members wish to speak in the engineering debate, but, as you will fully understand, many hon. Members are anxious to ask a business question. We have only a limited opportunity. I hope, therefore, that you will revert to your previous practice.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The House gives Mr. Speaker discretion, which I have used. I can tell the House that by raising these points of order hon. Members have already cut out one 10-minute speech in the debate on the engineering industry.
§ Later—
§ Mr. Dennis Canavan (West Stirlingshire)Further to the point of order, Mr. Speaker. It appears to some of us on the Labour Benches rather strange that every time your discretion is used to curtail business questions only a handful of Tory Members are on their feet—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Member is being thoroughly offensive. I have already called between 12 436 and 14 hon. Members from the Opposition Benches. The insinuation that I favour one side rather than the other is not acceptable to me. I am not prepared to sit here and listen to it.
§ Mr. CanavanIt is a fact, nevertheless.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. If the hon. Gentleman is trying to criticise my conduct in the Chair, he knows what to do, but I shall not sit here and allow him to continue. I could say more, but I had better not.