§ Mr. Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I wish to draw your attention to an abuse of the rights of the House which, although not of the dimensions of the issue to which hon. Members on both sides of the House have already referred, is nevertheless an issue to which you have previously adverted, and commented upon adversely. According to page 4079 of the Order Paper, a written question has been tabled by the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Forth). which has next to it a symbol meaning that it was tabled on Friday. It asks the Secretary of State for the Home Department
whether he will make a statement about the community radio experiment.Two matters arise from that question which I should like to put to you, Mr. Speaker. First, no sooner had it been tabled than the Home Office and the Government machine began distributing the contents of the reply to the press in terms of a briefing. Since yesterday the press has been full of the purport of' the reply which the hon. Gentleman will receive later this afternoon. It is that the Government have decided to abandon the experiment in community radio, despite the fact that only last month the Minister of State said that the Government were keen for the experiment to proceed.On previous occasions, Mr. Speaker, you have said that it is not acceptable to the rights of the House for the Government to make an important announcement by means of a planted question and, before the House has had the opportunity to see the content of the question—which is the property of the House—for the answer and ancillary information to be communicated to the press in an effort to lay down a trail to deal with adverse criticism arising from the Government's decision.
When a major policy statement is made by the Government on a matter about which they spoke a great deal last year and to which they have attached great importance, is it not disgraceful that they should act by means of a planted written question instead of the Home Secretary having the courage to come to the Dispatch Box and tell the House about abandoning the policy which they trumpeted so loudly?
§ Mr. SpeakerI have not seen any briefing which might have been given to the press. It certainly was not given to me. I often see questions tabled for written answer. This question asks the Secretary of State to make a statement on the community radio experiment. I have no idea what that statement will be. We shall know later this afternoon.
§ Mr. Clement Freud (Cambridgeshire, North-East)Further to the point of order, Mr. Speaker. I remind the House that your ruling is that when a statement is made by a Minister at the Dispatch Box the cancellation of a project so announced should come from the Dispatch Box. I agree with what the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) said, because the newspapers have leaked exactly what is to happen to community radio. It is deplorable that the hundreds of people who have worked hard and spent hours applying for licences, encouraged by the Home Secretary, should receive their reply in such a shoddy manner.
§ Mr. Eric Forth (Mid-Worcestershire)As the hon. Member involved in this, may I say that I hope that no one 711 is impugning my position because I am as entitled as any other hon. Member to ask a question such as this, particularly since the local commercial radio station in my constituency is concerned about the issue. Since I have no knowledge of the answer to the question, I am waiting for it as eagerly as other hon. Members. I hope that I shall have the opportunity to question the Home Secretary on the answer to my question.
§ Mr. SpeakerI do not think that I can say any more. The article is by a Mr. Simon de Bruxelles and I have no idea how reliable it is.