§ 5.8 pm
§ Mr. Robin Maxwell-Hyslop (Tiverton)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I understand from the authorities of the House that there has developed a considerable laxity in Government Departments, who are omitting to lay on the Table of the House—which, for this purpose, means Journal Office—as soon as the House has passed a notice of motion for an unopposed return, the document concerned so that it is available to hon. Members. I understand the position to be that, although Ministers can control the time of release from Vote Office of documents which they are putting into Vote Office, from time out of mind it has been the rule of the House that when the House has passed a notice of motion for an unopposed return —as the House did at about 2.26 pm today—there should have been a copy of the Barlow Clowes report by Sir Godfray Le Quesne available to hon. Members in the Journal Office.
When I went to Journal Office to get it, it was only with some difficulty that the Clerk of the Journal was able to get a copy from Vote Office, who were under the impression that the embargo on release to hon. Members from Vote Office in some way covered Journal Office, which it does not. Would you, Mr. Speaker, therefore use such machinery as is appropriate to make it known—because I believe that it is a matter for you, Mr. Speaker, to make it known—to all Ministers that when they put such a motion on the Order Paper it is incumbent on them to ensure that there is a copy available to the Table of the House—which means the Journal Office in this context—right away and that that copy will not be delayed because, for their own reasons, they wish to delay delivery to hon. Members from Vote Office?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member raises an important matter. I shall certainly look into it.