HC Deb 19 February 1981 vol 999 cc449-50
Q.5. Mr. Wilkinson

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the lack of substantive questions tabled to her, she will seek to appoint a Select Committee to examine whether some form of priority could be established for those questions addressed to her requiring a substantive answer, above those requesting her to list her engagements for the day.

The Prime Minister

The arrangements for Prime Minister's questions have been reviewed twice by Select Committees in recent years, and I am not sure how much further progress we would make by appointing another Committee now. I am very willing to answer substantive questions if they are tabled, and I hope that hon. Members will take the opportunity to put down more of them.

Mr. Wilkinson

I appreciate my right hon. Friend's willingness to answer any question from virtually anyone, but does not she agree that the plethora of open questions is making a monkey of our business? While we need a balance between admirable, spontaneous questions such as that from my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Fox), we also need some specific questions to balance the Order Paper in respect of Prime Minister's Question Time.

The Prime Minister

I have never transferred a single oral question which has been put to me. I am wholly in favour of what my hon. Friend is saying. Substantive questions are the easiest to answer.

Mr. Whitehead

Has the Prime Minister seen the announcement today of new editors for Times Newspapers Limited—The Times and The Sunday Times?—

Mr. Speaker

Order. This is not an open question.

Mr. Harry Ewing

If the Prime Minister is not in favour of setting up a Committee to examine Prime Minister's questions, can she set up a Committee to examine Prime Minister's answers? Is the right hon. Lady aware that the answer that she has given to the hon. Member for Galloway (Mr. Lang) regarding the new jobs in Scotland is without foundation? Is she aware that a company is taking over people who are in jobs at present? It is wrong to mislead the House and to pretend that those are new jobs when they are existing jobs.

The Prime Minister

No one can be sure that a particular job will exist in X years' time. It is impossible to be sure. Many jobs now are concerned with products which did not exist 10 years ago, let alone 20 years ago. Opposition Members will be aware that from 1964 to 1970, while the Labour Government were in power, the average annual number of closures in the pits was 40.

Mr. Hugh Dykes (Harrow, East)

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. The hon. Member for Bootle (Mr. Roberts) seems to have had question number 1 or 2—

Mr. Speaker

Order. I hope that the hon. Gentleman has a real point of order for me.