§ Mr. Alan Williams (Swansea, West)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May we have your advice on what seems to be a genuine constitutional predicament?
With regard to today's statement, there are two Departments with clear responsibilities. Until now, all statements on the subject in question have been made by the Secretary of State for Defence. Today, however, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has told the House that he has taken over responsibility at the Dispatch Box as the head of the sponsoring Department, but that any questions related to defence arising from his statement have to be referred to the Secretary of State for Defence. As the Secretary of State for Defence, who has dismissed the agreement as "metal-bashing", has had to sit beside his colleague in silence and humiliation and listen to an announcement that an agreement by national armaments directors—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Is this a point of order for me?
§ Mr. WilliamsYes, Mr. Speaker. We have been told that national armaments directors of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy have agreed that certain helicopter requirements should in future be met solely from aircraft designed and built in Europe. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry said that that agreement
represented a substantial extension to the Government's policy … and of our general approach to defence procurement as set out in the 1985 Statement on the Defence Estimates".As that agreement has apparently been set aside purely at the request of the Westland board, would it not be appropriate now to have a statement from the Secretary of State for Defence on the defence aspects of the matter?
§ Mr. SpeakerIt might have been more appropriate if the right hon. Member for Swansea, West (Mr. Williams) had been called last from the Front Bench. None of that is a matter for me.