§ Mr. Simon Hughes (Southwark and Bermondsey)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. This point of order arises out of the first matter of this afternoon that you, Mr. Speaker, asked to be taken now, in relation to the London Local Authorities Bill, about which you may have been alerted.
I objected to the motion this afternoon and obviously the matter has been put back. This matter arises from the last occasion that the Bill came before the House. It was objected to on the first occasion, and on the second occasion my hon. Friend the Member for Ceredigion and Pembroke, North (Mr. Howells) objected to it as well—but I understand from inquiries I have made that that objection was not heard.
I wonder whether it is possible, on the grounds that I understand exist in "Erskine May", when a stage of a private Bill is taken by mistake, for the order that the Bill has been read a Second time to be discharged and the matter be remitted so that the Second Reading can again be put before the House and proceeded with as though the objection had been taken.
§ Mr. SpeakerI thank the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) for giving me notice of his point of order.
Unfortunately, the events about which he is concerned took place as long ago as 20 October. If a right hon. or hon. Member objects to a stage of a Bill when it is called, it is up to him to make sure that his objection is heard by the Chair. If the occupant of the Chair proceeds to put the Question and subsequently declares that the Ayes have it, as I did on that occasion, then the right hon. or hon. Member wishing to object has missed his opportunity and there is nothing that can be done about it on a subsequent day. I regret that there is nothing that I can do to help in this matter.