§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerObjection taken. Second Reading what day?
§ Mr. Alan Meale (Mansfield)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. This is an absolute disgrace. For a number of weeks this Bill has been back to the Chamber, and once again we have Conservative Members objecting to a measure that would deal with serious damage to houses—
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. The House cannot listen to the hon. Gentleman canvass the merits of his Bill now. This frequently happens on Fridays. We are only following the long practised conventions of the House. The position has been explained on many occasions. It requires only one hon. Member to object to a Bill for it to be deferred.
§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. You made a very interesting comment in which the whole House will be interested. You said that this happens many times on Fridays and we hear objections from Government Whips such as the hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean), who objected to my hon. Friend's Bill.
You, Mr. Deputy Speaker, have taken a great interest in these matters as a constituency Member, because subsidence concerns many hon. Members who represent coalfield areas. My hon. Friend was making a valid 1168 attempt to get this Bill through, supported by all his hon. Friends. I do not think that there is much opposition to it, but I want to make a point about your role, Mr. Deputy Speaker, apart from you own constituency interests.
The Procedure Committee has been talked about in the House for several weeks, indeed months, and the possibility of its changing some of the rules and regulations of the House. Since this Bill and many others that come up on Fridays, without sufficient time, are thrown aside by Government objection, I wonder whether you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, in your capacity as a constituency Member involved in the subject matter of this Bill, and as someone who has to take the Chair on Fridays and hear these objections, you could make appropriate representations to the Procedure Committee, when it is constituted. I understand that the Committee is to discuss the behaviour of Members of Parliament. Would it not be worthwhile to end this pin-striped hooligan behaviour by Government Members stopping Bills merely by shouting "Object" out of the corner of their mouths? That is not a decorous way of dealing with matters—
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman has had a good run. I must remind him that the Procedure Committee of the last Parliament as recently as May 1987, gave this matter careful consideration and recommended no change.
As to the reconstitution of the Procedure Committee, the hon. Gentleman knows that that is not a matter for me. What he has said will be noted. He is reflecting his anxiety that the Procedure Committee should be reconstituted to consider some matters.
§ Second Reading deferred till Friday 20 May.