§ Mr. SpeakerAs the House knows, there are no fewer than four statements to be made this afternoon, all of which are of great importance. I ask right hon. and hon. Members to be brief with their supplementary questions, please, and perhaps the Front Bench spokesmen would also help in this regard.
§ Mr. Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. It is directly related to the fact that the Secretary of State for Scotland is to make a statement. I have no idea of the contents of the statement, and no doubt my right hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Govan (Mr. Millan) will have his views on it. However, the Secretary of State is to make a statement on local government finance in Scotland.
What can you, Mr. Speaker, do to protect the House in relation to local government finance for England? The Secretary of State for the Environment promised the House that this month he would publish a White Paper on the rating system, but we now understand that he does not intend to publish that statement until the House is in recess, and that he does not intend either to publish the spending ceilings for English local authorites until the House is in recess, when Members of Parliament will no longer be able to question him and hold him to account.
As we are to get a statement from the Secretary of State for Scotland, what can you do, Mr. Speaker, to prevent this Administration, and in particular the Secretary of State for the Environment, from abusing the House of Commons and Parliament by withholding a White Paper and information on spending which is in their possession, which has been prepared, which could be made available, and which could be the subject of a statement, but which is deliberately being withheld, to the abuse of the House of Commons?
§ Mr. SpeakerI have no knowledge whether the White Paper is ready. I was in the Chair and I heard the Secretary of State say that a White Paper would be published this month and I imagine that that is the fact. As to the Scottish statement, there are many hon. Members in the House who would wish to hear it.