Questions to Ministers (Hansard, 10 February 1986)

§ Mr. Robert Adley (Christchurch)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. My point of order arises out of Question Time.
In answering my question No. 27, my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts said that he would be making a written statement at 3.30 pm. Will you encourage Ministers who wish to make statements relevant to their subjects to answer questions in the morning, if they insist on giving written answers, so that we can see the answers and respond at Question Time?

§ Mr. Norman Buchan (Paisley, South)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker.
I should like to back up strongly what the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr. Adley) has said. There is another reason for my support. We have a mere 10 minutes of arts questions every three weeks. It would be useful, especially with this Department—it is true of all Departments—if we could have the information available so that we could get our teeth into some meat during this period.

§ Mr. Speaker
I am not responsible for written statements. I think that the Minister for the Arts meant that he would give a written answer.

§ Mr. Ray Powell (Ogmore)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. There are two matters for which you are responsible. The first is the tabling of oral questions. I notice that on today's Order Paper, questions Nos. 22 and 24 were asked by one Conservative Member. Does that mean that other hon. Members will have licence in future to table more than one question, and, if so—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I draw the hon. Member's attention to the Order Paper. He will see that question No. 24 is to the Secretary of State for Transport—a different Department.

§ Mr. Powell
My second point, Mr. Speaker, relates to the coupling of questions. I know that you may not be responsible for—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. We are taking time from private Member's motions. That is not a matter for me. I do not decide whether questions are linked. That is for the Department involved.

§ Mr. Powell
As you are not responsible for the coupling of questions, Mr. Speaker, which is the Minister's responsibility, I hope you will bear that in mind when it comes to calling hon. Members whose questions are coupled, because two Conservative Members have been called on supplementary questions on three occasions. Some Opposition Members, excluding myself, who tabled questions were not called because their questions were not reached.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Member knows that I do link questions where I can, but it is hardly fair to make that comment today when more Back Benchers were called from the Opposition side than from the Government side. If the hon. Member looks at the Order Paper, he will find that every hon. Member who had a question on the Order Paper to the Secretary of State for Wales was called this afternoon.

§ Mrs. Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Arising out of questions, the Secretary of 639 State for Wales accused me of misleading the House by quoting from a statement by the chief executive of the Welsh water authority. I should like to repeat that statement.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I cannot allow the hon. Lady to do that. That would be an extension of Question Time. We frequently hear answers in the Chamber with which we disagree. If I allow the Lady to take up such a challenge, I would have to do that for every other hon. Member. It would not be fair.

§ The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Nicholas Edwards)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. As I quoted from the letter, I think it would be helpful if I were to lay the full text of the letter in the Library of the House of Commons. That is what I propose to do.

§ Mr. Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside)
I welcome what the Secretary of State has said, but he made an unwarranted attack upon my hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd). My hon. Friend speaks the truth and stands by the statement that she made to the House on Wednesday on water authority matters. The water authority's position on privatisation is on record, and the right hon. Gentleman has no mandate to privatise water in Wales.

§ Mr. Nicholas Edwards
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I made no attack. I merely quoted from a letter addressed to me from someone who felt aggrieved by something said by the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd).

§ Mr. Speaker
I shall allow the hon. Lady one comment.

§ Mrs. Clwyd
It would have been courteous if the chief executive of the Welsh water authority had sent me a copy of the letter. I expect an apology because, in a conversation I had with him, he said that he could see no benefit in the privatisation of the Welsh water authority.