§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ Second Reading deferred till Friday 6 February.
§ Mr. David Ashby (Leicester, North-West)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker; I seek your guidance. Those hon. Members who do not hold office and who are not part of any payroll vote have been insulted tremendously just because they were totally opposed to giving the Bill a Second Reading. Is it not an improper use of points of order to denigrate those hon. Members who, like me, are quite properly opposed to such Bills?
§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)Further to that point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. As you know, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Mr. Speaker has certain powers in respect of matters that are sent to various Committees of the House. I hope that you will convey my point of order to him.
Some of those who turned up to vote on the Bill used free concessionary cars to do so. Ministers were able to get to the House because they have a concession—a free car. One of them, the Home Secretary, could not even make it, even though he has a free car. It is a scandal that Ministers should turn up in free cars paid for by the taxpayers while at the same time refusing to allow a concession in the form of free television licences for pensioners. I want that issue to go to the appropriate Committee.
Mr. Deputy SpeakerBoth hon. Members have now made their points, and they are on the record. I can repeat only that they are not points of order but debating points.