§ Mr. Bob Clay (Sunderland, North)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I refer you to column 716 of yesterday's Official Report, Mr. Speaker, and the reply that the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry made to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. Bell) on the British Shipbuilders statement. My hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough said:
He has mentioned Cuba and China, but he has not said whether, if those orders transpire, the yards that he has mentioned today for closure will stay open. Will he now give the House the commitment that, if those orders transpire between now and the end of the year those yards, including Smith's Dock, will stay open?The Secretary of State replied:If an adequate number of orders can be found to keep those yards open, that will be highly desirable and something that I would welcome."—[Official Report. 14 May 1986; Vol.97. c. 716.]He went on to say that he thought that it was highly unlikely. However, he clearly indicated that, if orders were available at a sufficient level, the decision on those yards and on redundancies by other yards that are not closing could be reversed—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. As far as I can judge from what the hon. Gentleman is saying, these are not matters for me. I think that they should correctly be put to the Leader of the House at business questions. If the hon. Gentleman will contain himself, I will give him that opportunity.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am not responsible for what Ministers say at the Dispatch Box, nor can I adjudicate upon it. I will give the hon. Gentleman an opportunity to raise that point with the Leader of the House who may well be able to give him the answer that he requires. I cannot.