Points of Order (Hansard, 14 November 1984)

§ Mr. Roland Boyes (Houghton and Washington)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Due to your many and varied activities, you might not be aware that Dr. Mahmut Dikerdem and five of his colleagues have been released from prison. They were imprisoned because of activities in the Turkish Peace Association. I wanted to ask the Foreign Secretary about this matter on question No. 5. You did not allow any supplementary questions on the question about Turkey. On the next question, which I agree is equally important, you allowed five supplementary questions. I wondered whether we could have more supplementary questions on Turkey in future.

§ Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. We allow 20 minutes for EEC questions, and I am not complaining about that, but we allocate only 40 minutes for the rest of the world. When one recognises that certain matters such as South Africa and central America, all rather important issues, could not be raised today — if you look at the Order Paper you will see questions 10, 12 and so on—it seems to me that the amount of time allocated to foreign affairs is far from sufficient. Will you bear that in mind, and ask the Leader of the House whether this matter could be reviewed through the usual channels?

§ Mr. Andrew Faulds (Warley, East)
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Is it connected with that matter?

§ Mr. Faulds
It is another matter, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
I shall deal with this point of order first. I shall take them one at a time.

Mr. Eric S. Heifer (Liverpool, Walton)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Having just chaired the Labour party conference, I have the deepest sympathy for you, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I am greatly obliged. In answer to the point of order, may I say that we made slow progress today on foreign affairs questions. I entirely accept the point made by the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) about the shortage of time for foreign affairs questions, but that is not a matter for me. It is a matter for the usual channels, and not a point of order. I have to make a judgment every day on what the House considers to be the most important subjects. I judged today—I hope that I was not incorrect—that the Falklands, Ethiopia and the situation in the middle east were of paramount importance.

§ Mr. Hugh Dykes (Harrow, East)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. If this is within your province, which I think it is, at this early stage in the new Parliament will you discourage the seemingly growing practice whereby official Opposition spokesmen more and more frequently ask questions from the Back Benches as ordinary Members, thereby reducing the time for Back Benchers on both sides to put legitimate questions?

§ Mr. Speaker
I do not think that that is legitimate. Every Member must have the opportunity to put his question at Question Time. It is a different matter when calling a speaker in a debate.

§ Mr. David Crouch (Canterbury)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I wonder whether I could draw to your attention the embarrassment and inconvenience caused to hon. Members when a question on the Order Paper is called but not fulfilled because the Member is not present. In my case, I particularly wanted to ask a question—I had formulated quite a clever supplementary question—but was not able to ask it. The point that I wish to put to you, Mr. Speaker, is that I hope that hon. Members who cannot be in their place to respond when their questions are called by you should let you know, and perhaps we could be advised that they will not be here.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. A great many hon. Members—indeed, most hon. Members—let me know if they are unable to be here at Question Time. That is a courtesy that we should continue. Mr. Faulds.

§ Mr. Faulds
At last Sir, thank you. As to supplementaries, what should some of us do — [Interruption.] I do that all right. What should some of us do to ensure that our apparent invisibility can be even momentarily lifted?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I am very sorry that I was unable to get the hon. Gentleman in today. [Interruption.] It is a serious matter. There is a very short time for foreign affairs questions, but it is not a matter for me. After a long recess, there are many questions that hon. Members wish to ask about countries that they may have visited. Today it would not have been possible to get every hon. Member in who wished to ask a supplementary question. I am very sorry about it.

§ Mr. Churchill (Davyhulme)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Do you not recall that it was not so long ago that we had 55 minutes for foreign affairs questions and that they took place once every three weeks rather than once every four weeks? Would it be possible for you to take up that matter in view of the complaints that have been made on both sides of the House, and to ask the usual channels to look at the matter once again?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The most effective course would be for the hon. Gentleman to do that himself. It is not a matter for the Chair.