Maternity Services (Hansard, 20 April 1988)

§ Mr. John McAllion (Dundee, East)
I beg to present a petition on behalf of more than 200 midwives and mothers from Dundee who are calling on the House—[Interruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Would hon. Members kindly leave the Chamber quietly?

§ Mr. McAllion
Those midwives and mothers are calling on the House to face the facts about the crisis in the country's maternity services—[interruption.] caused by the Government's underfunding of the Health Service in general—[Interruption.] and the maternity service—[Interruption.]

§ Sir Geoffrey Finsberg (Hampstead and Highgate)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Words are being used by Opposition Members such as louse, coward and philistine. I ask you to ask the hon. Gentlemen to withdraw those unparliamentary terms.

§ Mr. Speaker
If hon. Members below the Gangway and elsewhere are not interested in the petition, will they kindly leave the Chamber while we get on with the business of the House?

§ Mr. Dick Douglas (Dunfermline, West)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker—

§ Mr. Eric Forth (Mid-Worcestershire)
Go, go.

§ Mr. Douglas
The hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Forth) has done enough damage today to the reputation of the House without telling me and others how to behave.
I distinctly heard the right hon. Member for Chingford (Mr. Tebbit) who is standing beyond the Bar refer to some of us who abstained, having listened to all the debate—[Interruption.] Yes, we listened to all the debate—as lacking moral courage. Anyone who says that is beneath contempt. If I used words such as louse, and they are unparliamentary, I would withdraw them.
I ask you, Mr. Speaker, to use your powers to censure people who will not come into the Chamber from the outer precincts of the House and who use that situation—[Interruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I say to the whole House in the aftermath of the debate we have just had that I hope that behaviour in this Chamber will proceed in good order. I was listening to the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion) who was raising his petition. I was not listening to what was going on beyond the Gangway. I call Mr. John McAllion.

§ Mr. McAllion
If the right hon Member for Chingford (Mr. Tebbit) wishes to display moral courage, perhaps he will stay behind and lend his support to the 300 midwives and mothers in Dundee who call upon this House to face the facts about the crisis in the country's Health Service and in particular in the maternity services.
The petition further calls upon the Commons to support the Royal College of Midwives in calling upon the Government to provide the funding that will remove the risk to mothers and babies that at present exists. I heartily commend this petition to the House.