§ Mr. Peter Snape (West Bromwich, East)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 failure of the Secretary of State for Transport to respond to a court decision of 11 January 1985 that he had acted irrationally, improperly and unlawfully in compelling the Greater London council to pay a sum of approximately £50 million in excess of the sum properly required to finance London Regional Transport.The matter is specific because it relates to a court judgment, as I have outlined, and to the judge's comments about the conduct of the Secretary of State and his subsequent inaction.It is important, because Ministers are surely not above the law, and there are rumours that the Government are considering a change of the law and, in so doing, introducing retrospective legislation to make lawful what the judge called unlawful. The Government constantly demand respect for the rule of law of others and regularly campaign, without much evidence, as the law and order party.
The matter is urgent because as long ago as 14 January the Secretary of State claimed, while refusing to answer questions on this matter, that my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks):
will know that we have appealed against the judgment, and therefore it is sub judice." — [Official Report, 14 January 1985; Vol. 71, c. 2.]I am informed that, despite the Secretary of State's comments in the House on that day at column 2, as I have quoted, and at column 11 and column 13, to the effect that the Government intended to appeal and that he would therefore not answer questions on this matter, no such appeal has so far been received by the court. In view of the rumours that the Government are to seek a change in the law in attempt to justify the Secretary of State's disgraceful conduct, might I press you to approve this application?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 10, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely,
the failure of the Secretary of State for Transport to respond to a court decision of 11 January 1985 that he had acted irrationally, improperly and unlawfully in compelling the Greater London council to pay a sum of approximately £50 million in excess of the sum properly required to finance London Regional Transport.I have listened with great care to what the hon. Member has said, but I regret that I do not consider the matter that he has raised is appropriate for discussion under Standing Order No. 10, and I cannot therefore submit his application to the House.