ROAD TRAFFIC (SEAT BELTS) BILL (Hansard, 22 February 1980)

HC Deb 22 February 1980 vol 979 cc815-914 815

§ As amended (in the Standing Committee), considered.

§ Mr. Clement Freud (Isle of Ely)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In your provisional selection of amendments you have seen fit not to call my new clause I. I should like to say, briefly, that I have about 400 miles of unfenced roads alongside canals and river banks in by constituency and there is genuine concern on the part of my constituents, the fire service and the ambulance service that an exemption of this kind should be requested. I am at a loss to know how I may try to introduce this matter when my new clause has not been selected. I would be grateful for your advice.

§ Mr. Speaker
I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman will not be able to do what he wishes because the new clause has not been selected. He will have to find some other way.

§ Mr. Ivan Lawrence (Burton)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I wonder whether we can have your assistance on a point that is of importance to this de-date. Will it be possible for us to vote separately on the amendments that you call that deal particularly with the exemptions? I have in mind the fact that when the exemptions were chosen during debate in Committee, you ruled that it should be open to the Committee to vote separately on each of the exemptions. There was great wisdom and common sense in that ruling, as one might expect, because some people who would want to see an exemption, say, for driving instructors or examiners would not necessarily want to see an exemption for people suffering from claustrophobia, or the disabled, or people making house-to-house calls, or to exclude people who are travelling merely 200 yards, about which an amendment has been tabled—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I apologise for interrupting the hon. Gentleman, but I can help him very quickly. Amendment No. 17 obviously decides amendment No 22, but on the others separate votes would be possible.

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§ Sir Ronald Bell (Beaconsfield)
Did you say amendment No. 17, Mr. Speaker? It does not seem to be a selected amendment.

§ Mr. Speaker
Yes. It is being taken with amendment No. 15, and a Division on it is possible, but the principle would then be decided for amendment No. 22, also.