Order Paper (Hansard, 13 July 1988)

§ Mr. Eric Forth (Mid-Worcestershire)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Will you confirm that, among your many responsibilities to the House, it is your responsibility 372 to ensure that the items that appear each day on the Order Paper are in order, acceptable and relevant to the House, and that you do that through the excellent work of the Clerks and, through them, your instruction to the Table Office? Will you confirm also that this week you gave particular instructions to the Table Office and the Clerks to ensure that any hon. Member who might seek to put an item on the Order Paper would be present in the House, would present it and, if necessary, vote on it? Have you particularly drawn attention to the fact that, if he should seek to put anything on the Order Paper, the Leader of the Opposition is far away and indulging in business that is detrimental to this country and is quite unable to fulfil any obligations that he may have in respect of the Order Paper?

§ Mr. Speaker
I thank the hon. Member for what he has said about my responsibility for the matter. The whole House will agree that anything that appears on the Order Paper is in order; otherwise it would not so appear.

§ Mr. Frank Dobson (Holborn and St. Pancras)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the excellent services that the Clerks provide, will you ask them to place on the Order Paper or in Hansard a list of all orders and motions in the name of the Prime Minister that have been tabled when she has been out of the country?

§ Mr. Speaker
We should move on.