§ Mr. Bob Clay (Sunderland, North)I beg to ask leave to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Downhill, Town End Farm, Hylton Castle and Red House estates in my constituency. It reads:
To the Honourable Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of residents of the estates of Downhill, Town End Farm, Hylton Castle and Red House, Sunderland in the county of Tyne and Wear showeth That in considering the Housing Bill, brought from this Honourable House on 28 June 1988, the Right Honourable Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled have through their Committee amended Clauses 60 and 61 of the said Bill to the effect that the Secretary of State shall not designate an area as one where a housing action trust should be established unless he had made the arrangements for the conduct of a ballot of tenants affected and the majority of tenants eligible to vote have approved his proposal.The right Honourable Secretary of State has notified us that he is considering designating the areas in which we live as areas where housing action trusts should be established and we would welcome the opportunity to make our views on the matter known by way of ballot and for the proposed designation not to proceed if the majority of those of us eligible to vote do not approve the proposed designation.Wherefore, your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House do accept, in considering the said Bill, the amendments made to the said clauses 60 and 61 by the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray &c.This is not a random petition. It is signed by 5,829 of the 6,632 tenants who could conceivably have signed it. It was taken from door to door, with only those tenants affected by the housing action trust proposal being asked to sign. A total of 87.9 per cent. of all those eligible have signed. They are not opposing the HAT in principle but are simply asking that the amendment made in another place be upheld when it returns to this place so that the tenants have the right to vote on whether they wish to see a housing action trust established.I am proud to present the petition. It shows the overwhelming view of my constituents who are affected. I agree with them that it is appalling that the Secretary of State has told them that they should not be able to vote on their own future because they may be misinformed and vote the wrong way. That goes well beyond housing policy and threatens democracy in Britain. I see no difference in principle between a Government saying that tenants may not vote on their future and saying that people may not vote to elect Members to the House or to councils.
§ Madam Deputy Speaker (Miss Betty Boothroyd)Order. I must remind the hon. Gentleman that a petition is a petition, and that a long speech should not be attached to it. Perhaps he will now present the petition.
§ Mr. ClayI shall bear in mind what you have said, Madam Deputy Speaker. I had almost concluded my remarks, and I shall now present the petition.
§ To lie upon the Table.