§ Mr. Peter Shore (Bethnal Green and Stepney)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I exceptionally put a point of order of great importance to you and to the House of Commons, Mr. Speaker? It was my clear understanding at the end of yesterday's debate that the House of Commons, in accepting the manuscript amendment of my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield (Mr. Benn), agreed that your ruling on 22 January prohibiting the showing of Mr. Duncan Campbell's film in the precincts of the House would last until the Committee of Privileges reported and the House itself debated the Committee's report. This morning, in the BBC's "Today" programme, the Leader of the House, answering questions from Mr. John Cole, said the following — "The Speaker has indicated"—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman prefaced his remarks by saying that this is an exceptional case. This is a matter of great importance to the whole House of Commons. I shall deal with it now.
§ Mr. ShoreThe Leader of the House, in response to a question by Mr. John Cole, said:
the Speaker has indicated that his ruling concerning the showing of the film in the Palace of Westminster will continue as long as the injunction.That, indeed, was the central issue of yesterday's debate when the House specifically rejected the connection between your ruling of 22 January and the court's injunction, Mr. Speaker. As the Leader of the House is also Chairman of the Privileges Committee, to which the matter has now been referred, it would be extremely important if you, Mr. Speaker, were to guide the House and, in particular, were able to reaffirm the words you used in column 273 of Hansard when, in reply to the Solicitor-General last night, you said:my instructions of 22 January will remain in force until the House itself can make a decision following the report of the Committee of Privileges". —[Official Report, 27 January 1987; Vol. 109, c. 273.]
§ Dr. John Gilbert (Dudley, East)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. For the purposes of clarification, could you confirm that your instruction of 22 January in 336 no way referred to the operations and work of Select Committees in connection with their power to send for persons, papers and records?
§ Mr. SpeakerNormally, I do not take points of order at this stage unless they arise strictly out of questions, but it seems to me that this is a matter of considerable importance which the whole House would wish to have clarified. Therefore, I exceptionally agreed to take them now.
May I reaffirm what I said yesterday at column 273 of Hansard, namely, that my instruction of 22 January will remain in force until the Committee of Privileges reports to the House and the House has made its determination thereupon, unless in the meantime that injunction has been removed.
May I say to the right hon. Member for Dudley, East (Dr. Gilbert) that I have also been asked, by him and by other hon. Members, whether my instruction of 22 January applies to Select Committees. The House will be aware that I have no authority to intervene in the operations of Select Committees, which are given their powers directly by the House. Accordingly, my instruction relates to Members acting on their own responsibility and not to Select Committees.
§ The Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. John Biffen)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. On the first point raised by the right hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Stepney (Mr. Shore), of course I fully endorse the interpretation that you gave, Mr. Speaker, and if any remarks of mine on the BBC indicated otherwise, it was wholly unintended.
As to the second point, thank you for giving us this ruling, Mr. Speaker, which we will wish to study carefully.
§ Mr. Tony Benn (Chesterfield)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker, and given what you have said about Select Committees, I take it that the Committee of Privileges will be free to see the film, which it will have to do to discharge its task. I take it that nothing that the Lord Privy Seal said on the radio this morning would indicate that the Government wish to interpose an objection to the Committee of Privileges seeing the film when you yourself have waived any objection to it.
§ Mr. SpeakerThat is a decision for the Committee of Privileges and not for me.