Prime Minister's Questions (Hansard, 11 June 1981)

§ Mr. Robin Maxwell-Hyslop (Tiverton)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. When Ministers' Question Time overruns Prime Minister's Question Time, you are sometimes generous enough to tell the House that you will allow it what you call injury time afterwards. May I suggest that when the Leader of the Opposition abuses his right at the Dispatch Box and returns again and again to the same question on a Supply day, thereby preventing you from calling Back Benchers on both sides of the House, you should consider allowing injury time after 3.30 pm—on Supply days only? It would abviously be unfair if, by abusing the procedures of the House, the Leader of the Opposition could take up Government time.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. There is no need to prolong this issue. This is a Supply day. The hon. Member for Tiverton (Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop) has made his proposal, which I shall bear in mind.

§ Mr. Eric S. Heffer (Liverpool, Walton)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. If you are going to allow injury time, will you include all the Prime Minister's replies?

§ Mr. Speaker
I think that it is in everybody's interest to move on and not to pursue this matter now.

§ Mr. David Crouch (Canterbury)
On a further point of order, Mr. Speaker. I had the impression before the end of questions to the Prime Minister that perhaps, you were showing some dispensation or discretion to the Leader of the Opposition on the way in which he put his first question to the Prime Minister.

§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)
This is an attack on the Chair.

§ Mr. Crouch
Ordinary Back Benchers are normally required by you, Mr. Speaker, to confine their question to the Prime Minister to one subject. However, the Leader of the Opposition put his question in two parts. The first part was about unilateral disarmament. He then continued with an entirely different question while still on his feet and asked about the state of the economy. Is that normal? Is it your decision that it should continue in that way, Mr. Speaker?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. First, I express my gratitude to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) for his defence of the Chair. It is not often that my breath is taken away. The House knows that a special latitude is allowed to the Leader of the Opposition. I am anxious that contributions from all hon. Members at Question Time should be in the form of a question, however excited or indignant right hon. and hon. Members may be and regardless of any other emotion to which they are given.