§ Mr. Ivor Stanbrook (Orpington)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. This is a short point of order, but one which I am sure that you will appreciate. Today, my name appeared third on the list of hon. Members who sought to ask oral questions of the Prime Minister. Consequently, I sat quietly and patiently while questions were asked before mine, hoping and thinking that I would have my opportunity in due course. In fact, a dozen or perhaps 15 of my colleagues had the opportunity of asking questions of the Prime Minister, none of whom had tabled questions.
As we have a ballot for positions in respect of questions to the Prime Minister, would it not be possible to group questions that are the same? The first eight on today's 1083 Order Paper were more or less identical, and it seems unfair that those of us who have taken the trouble to table questions to the Prime Minister—certainly if we are within the first two or three — should not have the opportunity to ask those questions in preference to the hon. Members who come into the House on the day and are called.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman has a good point. There is a sense of grievance on each side of the House if an hon. Member has tabled question No. Q3 or Q4 and is not called. The House will be aware of what happened this afternoon. Ten minutes were devoted to question No. 1 and five minutes were left for question No. Q2. I was unable to call many hon. Members. It may be worth while for the Procedure Committee to consider what the hon. Gentleman said about questions that are identical. Again I place on record the fact that I believe that Prime Minister's Question Time is being spoilt by the form of questioning that takes place.