§ 29. Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Lord Privy Seal how many people are eligible for a free taxi home from the House of Commons after late night sittings; what was 659 (a) the cost and (b) the numbers involved in each of the past five years; and if he will take steps to extend this facility to right hon. and hon. Members.
§ Mr. BiffenStaff of the House and certain other individuals who are on late duty when the House or its Committees continue to sit after 11 pm are eligible to use the late night car service at no cost to themselves. The statistics involving numbers and cost are complex and do not lend themselves to oral answer. I will, however, set out the information in the Official Report. There are no proposals to extend the facility.
§ Mr. BruinvelsDoes my right hon. Friend share my concern about the difficulty with which the House is now presented? It cost £56.8 million to run the House of Commons in the last financial year. Hon. Members speak late into the night, so staff have to stay here much longer than is necessary and therefore need a lift home. I am not suggesting that any hon. Member ought to have a free lift home, but surely the best solution would be for the House to stop sitting after 10.30 pm. There would then be no requirement for this taxation without representation and free taxis for many while hon. Members are left standing in the taxi queue.
§ Mr. BiffenThe House is sitting no later today in any significant sense than in, say, 1980–81. If my hon. Friend wants the House to rise that much earlier, he should note that that can happen only if the most frequent participants in our debate show some continence.
Following is the information:Records of the number of persons using this facility are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In 1982–83, however, a special survey was mounted which revealed that 2,956 taxis were used to carry a total of 7,288 passengers.
| Cost of late night car service | |
| £ | |
| 1985–86 | 80,780 |
| 1984–85 | 64,016 |
§ Mr. Ron DaviesOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker, arising from Question Time. On Welsh questions we reached No. 11 slightly after 3.10 pm, when questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster started. You managed to call all the hon. Members who had tabled questions for the Chancellor, and also several supplementaries. At 3.18 pm we came to questions to the right lion. Member representing the Public Accounts Committee. Again you managed to call those who wished to ask supplementary questions. At 3.20 pm, you managed to call all the hon. Members who had tabled questions to the Leader of the House, as well as several hon. Members to ask supplementary questions..
I understand, Mr. Speaker, that you cannot control the length of supplementary questions, nor the length of replies from the Minister. However, as only nine Members who had tabled questions for the Secretary of State for Wales were answered, would it be possible for you to examine the allocation of time for questions to the Secretary of State for Wales and other Question Times, so that Welsh Members have a fair crack of the whip?
§ Mr. SpeakerI am sorry that I did not manage to call the hon. Gentleman today. I was hoping to do so. The allocation of time for Questions is not a matter for me, but Welsh questions went on for a further three minutes beyond 3.10 pm, and we made up time subsequently.
§ Mr. D. E. ThomasFurther to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Should not Welsh Members assist English Members in the disestablishment of the Church of England?
§ Mr. SpeakerThat is not a matter for me.