Points of Order (Hansard, 5 December 1985)

§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Peter Thurnham (Bolton, North-East)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
I will take points of order after the three statements, unless they arise directly from and are not an extension of Question Time.

§ Mr. Thurnham
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I should be grateful if you would allow my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to answer my question—[HON. MEMBERS: "No".] This is a matter for which the Government have direct responsibility, and n stems directly from an answer given on Monday afternoon by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I have no doubt that the hon. Gentleman had thought out his question carefully, because it was printed on the Order Paper. But the House knows that questions must be related to the Prime Minister's responsibility. She has no responsibility for any action that militants might take—

§ Mr. Churchill (Davyhulme)
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The Prime Minister has no responsibility for any action that militants might take at Manchester airport.

§ Mr. Churchill
rose—

§ Mr. Skinner
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I will take Mr. Churchill first.

§ Mr. Churchill
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Government clearly have responsibility for legislation in the House that could prevent the Marxist Left on Manchester city council from taking over Manchester airport under the guise of a sham—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Indeed, that may be so. Had the hon. Gentleman asked that question, it would have been in order.

§ Mr. Skinner
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. The most important feature of that question was not only that was it planted but that the Prime Minister had a readymade answer to a question for which you said she has no responsibility. The Prime Minister and the hon. Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Thurnham) were cheating the House.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Let me tell the hon. Gentleman and the House that it is wrong to say that questions are planted when they are on the Order Paper.

§ Mr. Eric Deakins (Walthamstow)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I ask on whose authority business questions have been relegated to being taken after a statement when our normal procedure is that they come before statements?

§ Mr. Speaker
If the Government ask to make a business statement, that is in order and it takes its proper place.

§ Mr. John Golding (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. How can it be ruled that the Prime Minister is not responsible for the question when the question was written before the answer? [Laughter.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order.

§ Mr. Thurnham
Further to my point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mrs. Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)
rose—

§ Mr. Golding
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Thurnham) must put the question in the proper form. If he reads Hansard tomorrow, he will see that he did not.

§ Mr. Thurnham
Further to my point of order, Mr. Speaker. There is a meeting tomorrow of the shadow joint board for Manchester airport, and we should be most grateful to hear an answer to the question that I put.

§ Mr. Speaker
Not today.

§ Mrs. Clwyd
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You will understand why I raise this point of order at this stage. It arises out of Question Time. I do so because I was named on the Order Paper for absenting myself from a Private Bill Committee.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Lady has given me notice of this point of order, and it does not arise out of this Question Time.

§ Mrs. Clwyd
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Golding
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. We have a busy programme today. There are three statements and some important business. I will take points of order if they are legitimate and arise out of this Question Time. I will take other points of order in their proper place at the end, where I always take them.

§ Mr. Golding
The response of the House to the mistake that I made in my point of order was more eloquent than if I had put it correctly.

§ Mr. Speaker
I am not taking any more points of order at this stage.

§ Mrs. Clwyd
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
I am not taking any more points of order. I ask the hon. Lady to resume her seat, please. The Prime Minister.

§ The Prime Minister
rose—

§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennett (Denton and Reddish)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mrs. Clwyd
Further to my point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I am not taking any more points of order.

§ Mrs. Clwyd
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I am on my feet. I will take the hon. Lady's point of order, as I have said, at the end of the statement; and I will take the point of order of the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) at the end of the statements.

§ Mrs. Clwyd
rose—

§ Mr. Bennett
rose—

§ The Prime Minister
With permission, Mr. Speaker, I will make a statement about the European Council held in Luxembourg on 2 and 3 December. My right hon. and learned Friend—

§ Mrs. Clwyd
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Do I understand that the hon. Lady's Committee will meet at 4 o'clock?

§ Mrs. Clwyd
No; it is meeting now, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
In that event, as an exception, I shall take the hon. Lady's point of order.

§ Mrs. Clwyd
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sorry to press the point, but it raises an interesting matter on which I should like your ruling.
First, I was absent from the Committee for which I was named on the Order Paper because I was down on the Order Paper to ask a question in the Chamber. I should like your ruling on whether Committee business takes precedence over the business of the Chamber. I would like that information for my constituents and for other hon. Members. It is important that we should know whether it is less important to examine the Executive than to be in Committee. I should like your ruling because, according to the rules of Committee, we are subject to penalties if we absent ourselves from a Committee. I think that you should give a ruling on the matter.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. This is of interest to the whole House. The hon. Lady gave me notice of her point of order, so I am able to give her the ruling for which she asks. She will know that the House has always regarded attendance at Private Bill Committees as of the utmost importance. Under Standing Order No. 122 of the Private Business Standing Orders absences from these Committees must be reported to the House. The form of words of the report matches the wording of the Standing Order, which is: A member of any such committee shall not absent himself from his duties thereon, except in the case of illness or by leave of the House; and if any member is not present within one hour after the time appointed for the meeting of the committee, or if any member absents himself from his duties thereon, the member shall be reported to the House at its next sitting. That is the Standing Order.