§ 5.2 pm
§ Mr. Tony Benn (Chesterfield)I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 10, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,
the dispute in the mining industry and the impending closure of all pits arising from the NACODS decision to withdraw its labour.I appeal to you most urgently, Mr. Speaker, to give this subject priority over the stated business for the week. The Secretary of State has made it clear that there are no arrangements of any sort for talks between the board and the mining unions between now and Thursday morning, when the closure of the industry follows under the Mines and Quarries Act 1954, because it will be illegal for miners to dig coal in any pit unless there is safety cover of the sort that can be given only by those who hold the overmen's certificate.I urge you not to allow a matter of this importance to be considered solely in a question and answer session, unsatisfactory as that is bound to be, but to give the House of Commons, after a long recess, and the public, who have waited to hear the arguments presented, an opportunity tomorrow to discuss what the Minister said and some of the points that have been only touched on in the exchange. I very much hope you will agree.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe right hon. Member for Chesterfield (Mr. Benn) asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he believes should have urgent consideration, namely,
the dispute in the mining industry and the impending closure of all pits arising from the NACODS decision to withdraw its labour.The right hon. Gentleman and the entire House have listened to a long exchange on this matter. As the right hon. Gentleman said, the only decision that I have to take is whether this matter should take precedence over the business set down for today or tomorrow. I do not in any way underestimate the seriousness of the dispute and its impact on the country. Nevertheless, I do not consider that the matter which he has raised is appropriate for discussion under Standing Order No. 10 and, therefore, I cannot submit his application to the House.