§ Mr. Bryan Gould (Dagenham)I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,
the statement by Mr. Graham Day this afternoon that he and the Rover board propose to close two Rover plants in the next year or so".The matter is specific because Mr. Day has made no bones about his intention to close the Cowley south and Llanelli plants, with the loss of 4,900 jobs, very much along the lines of which many of us warned last week when two ministerial statements were made on the subject of Rover. This matter is also specific in that Mr. Day has indicated an established timetable for the carrying out of the closures.The matter is clearly important, not only to the local economies and the people whose jobs will be destroyed but to the future of what remains of the British-controlled volume car industry. In effect, this development signals the end of that industry. It solves the puzzle of why the Rover corporate plan was regarded as a matter of such contention by the Government, the EEC Commission and British Aerospace. We now know why British Aerospace regarded it not as "neither important nor material", as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster maintained, but as an essential precondition to going ahead with privatisation. It is also important because one of the avowed intentions of the sale is to take the future of the British car industry out of the remit of the House and put it into the hands of those who will consider only commercial factors.
The matter requires urgent consideration because we have had two ministerial statements on Rover in the past week, neither of which ventured upon this development or gave any inkling that it was in store. In the light of Mr. Day's statement just two hours ago, we desperately need urgent ministerial clarification. The matter will be resolved one way or the other, presumably during the summer recess, so this may be the last opportunity for the House to consider this important matter. It would be outrageous if we were denied the chance to debate a development of such fateful significance to the British car industry.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he believes should have urgent consideration, namely,
the proposed closure by Rover group of two major plants in the next few years".Again, I have listened with concern to what the hon. Member has said, but I have to give him the same answer as I gave to his right hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield (Mr. Benn). I regret that I do not consider that the matter that he has raised meets the criteria for granting a debate under Standing Order No. 20 and I cannot, therefore, submit his application to the House.