HC Deb 06 July 1988 vol 136 cc1079-80
Mr. Roland Boyes (Houghton and Washington)

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I know that you will understand when I say that it is with deep regret and full appreciation of the difficult nature of your position that I raise this point of order.

I informed you in advance, Mr. Speaker, that I was probably the only Member who had worked with Mr. Michael Bishop, the director of social services at Cleveland. Much has been made this afternoon about management. No one has had the same opportunity as I, having been the assistant director of social services with Mr. Bishop, to comment on the management at Cleveland and on his experience, qualifications and extremely caring attitude towards children. I think that it would have been appropriate for someone to speak for and defend a director who has been badly abused by the press and commented on in the most destructive way by some hon. Members. Mr. Bishop and other directors should be allowed now freely to get on with their job. Fewer comments should be made in the press—comments made by the press and by hon. Members—on what is a delicate situation. I apologise, Mr. Speaker, for having to raise these matters on a point of order.

Mr. Speaker

I thank the hon. Gentleman for the way in which he raised his point of order. Perhaps I should have included him among the hon. Members whom I called to put questions to the Minister for Health. There is a difficult balance to achieve. I do my best to include hon. Members who have Opposition Front-Bench responsibilities among those I call to ask questions following the making of a statement.

Mrs. Audrey Wise (Preston)

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker

Order. The hon. Lady is, I believe, also an Opposition Front-Bench spokesperson. We cannot continue now with the questions on the statement.

Mrs. Wise

rose—

Mr. Speaker

Does the hon. Lady wish to raise a point of order on a different matter?

Mrs. Wise

I am not an Opposition Front-Bench spokesperson, Mr. Speaker. I wish to pursue the matter that has been raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Houghton and Washington (Mr. Boyes), but I shall do so from an entirely different viewpoint. I did not seek to catch your eye during the questioning of the Minister for Health.

Mr. Speaker

Order. I do not think that the hon. Lady rose during that questioning.

Mrs. Wise

No, Mr. Speaker, I did not.

Mr. Speaker

Then what is the point of order for me?

Mrs. Wise

I am raising a point of order that is a matter for you, Mr. Speaker. I am rising on behalf of all those who were not seeking to catch your eye, but who wanted certain issues pursued because of the thought that we have all had to give to the important matters that were raised by the statement. I rise now not because I had a personal wish to be called, but because I wanted to hear the Minister's response to the question that my hon. Friend intended to ask. The House did not have the opportunity to hear that, and I urge you——

Mr. Speaker

Order. We must all have consideration for one another in this place. I have stated already that this is a Supply Day for the minority parties. Whenever hon. Members are unable to be included in Question Time, or in questions following statements and debates, I receive letters from them saying how bitterly disappointed they are. If I were to allow questions on statements to continue until everyone who wished to ask a question had been called, I would then receive legitimate complaints from those cut out of the subsequent debate. That would be extremely unfair.