HC Deb 18 October 1982 vol 29 cc21-2
Mr. Speaker

Order. Before I call the statement, I have had notice of two different points of order.

Mr. Michael Cocks (Bristol, South)

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. On 26 February this year—

Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)

This is the big one.

Mr. Cocks

On 26 February this year at 11 o'clock in the morning I raised with you on a point of order the highly unsatisfactory state of affairs that had arisen through the failure of the Government to honour the convention whereby copies of statements are made available to Opposition spokesmen at least half an hour before the statement is made. I said at that time that we understood that from time to time circumstances arise that make it inevitable that this does happen. In the case of a natural disaster it is obviously difficult to cobble something together until the last minute. On that occasion there was some shred of an excuse for the Minister, because he had been engaged in discussions until very late the previous night.

I now have to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that, despite the apology of the Minister on that occasion, the same situation has arisen in the context of the statement that is about to be made on the National Health Service. The statement was asked for by my right hon. Friends in the middle of last week. Ample notice was given and yet the text was not delivered into our hands until 3.16 this afternoon. It is true that an ad hoc arrangement was made to telephone the text of the statement to my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe (Mrs. Dunwoody), but even that conversation with the Department did not take place until after 3 o'clock.

On television a few nights ago the Leader of the House was making some philosophical reflections on the state of British society now and in the future. It would be helpful to the House if he were to make some reflections on the efficiency of Government Departments in these matters and if he could get a bit of the ordinary common courtesy and conventions of the House back into the usual channels.

I should like to think that you, Mr. Speaker, could offer us some protection from these abuses and that perhaps the late delivery of the text was due to a change of heart by the Government over the dispute, but on that we shall have to wait to hear what the Secretary of State says.

The Secretary of State for Social Services (Mr. Norman Fowler)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I can only apologise unreservedly to the House for the delay in the statement's arrival here. I understand that it was certainly corrected and sent from the Department on time. I will ensure that this does not happen again, and I hope that the House will accept my apologies.

Mr. Tom McNally (Stockport, South)

On a new point of order, Mr. Speaker. This covers exactly the same point as the previous point of order. Seven days after the House rose the Secretary of State for Education announced he closure of seven teacher training colleges. Most of those decisions must have been taken by the Department while the House was sitting.

Are you, Mr. Speaker, willing to defend the House and make sure that Secretaries of State do not come along apologising, but rather make their statements to the House at the right time so that hon. Members with constituency interests can defend their constituents?

Mr. Speaker

I can say at once that I am not so willing. I am not going to take responsibility for when Ministers issue statements or for the content of the statements. I should be foolish if I were to do so.