§ Mr. Geoffrey Lofthouse (Pontefract and Castleford)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. During questions to the Secretary of State for Employment I put a supplementary question arising out of question No. 1. You ruled, Mr. Speaker, that my question was not exactly in order. Although I do not want to question your ruling, I find it difficult to understand why a question about ex-miners on the employment register is not in order during questions about the unemployed generally. Bearing in mind the totally unsatisfactory answer to part of my question and the totally misleading answer given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Mason), I give notice that I intend to raise this subject on the Adjournment.
§ Mr. SpeakerI must correct the hon. Member. I did not say that his question was out of order. I said that he was going wide of the question. The hon. Member was dealing with unemployment and redundancy pay, whereas the question was about the number of people unemployed. It would have been far more appropriate for the hon. Member to have raised his point during questions Nos. 4 or 8.
§ Mr. Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is it possible for the Chair to introduce some sort of penalty against those hon. Members who table questions to the Prime Minister and then do not have the courtesy to turn up? Two Conservative Members did not even bother to take their places today. May we have a penalty of, say a six-month bar on tabling questions?
§ Mr. SpeakerThis matter has been raised every week since the Recess. I repeat, for the benefit of the House; what I said last week: I never call the names of those right hon. and hon. Members who give me notice that they cannot be in their places.
§ Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerDoes this matter concern Question Time?
§ Mr. DalyellYes, it relates to Question Time. May I express my gratitude to those Conservative Members who did not turn up. You allowed me to put a substantial question, Mr. Speaker. The supplementary question was equally substantial, and the Prime Minister did not answer it. Will the right hon. Lady say publicly that she will answer that question either now or in the future?
§ Mr. SpeakerWe are getting into the bad habit we saw last Session. I hope that in this Session hon. Members will avoid trying to prolong Question Time by raising points of order. I am glad that the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) was fortunate today in being able to put his question.