§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennett (Denton and Reddish)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I draw your attention to the fact that yesterday there was a question on the Order Paper about student travel arrangements, and during education Question Time there was a lengthy exchange about question 12. At the end of that exchange, the Minister referred to
consultations that we are undertaking".—[Official Report, 3 April 1984, Vol 57; c. 800.]It appears that soon after that exchange took place a question was put down by the hon. Member for Mid-Kent (Mr. Rowe) for written answer today. The Government are giving a detailed statement in the form of a reply to that question, to the effect that about 125,000 students will be worse off, and that students in Ulster will be especially disadvantaged.Is it not an abuse of the House for a Minister to avoid answering a question about student travel in Question Time, and for a written question mysteriously to appear — I understand that you do not accept the idea of planted questions, Mr. Speaker—on the Order Paper late last night and for a written answer to appear today? Hon. Members now have no opportunity to question the Government about a substantial change in the arrangements for student travel. Can you give us some guidance on this point?
§ Mr. SpeakerI naturally listened during Question Time yesterday and heard what was said. The hon. Gentleman draws the House's attention to written question No. 167 today, but what questions are put on the Order Paper are not matters of order or matters for me. I regret that I cannot help.
§ Later—
§ Mr. D. N. Campbell-Savours (Workington)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You said in reply to a point of order raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) that you are not responsible for questions on the Order Paper. [HON. MEMBERS: "No."] Perhaps I misunderstood, but I thought that you suggested that you are not responsible. In so far as you are responsible, Mr. Speaker, can you refer to question No. 7 which was asked today by my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing). In reply to it and all supplementary questions, the Minister repeated that he was not responsible for answering that question but that it should have been answered by the Secretary of State for Transport. May we have some explanation about how it was possible for that question to be tabled in environment Question Time?
§ Mr. SpeakerI shall look into how the question came to be on today's Order Paper. I heard the Minister answer quite detailed points on that question, but he incidentally referred to the fact that the main responsibility lay with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport.