§ Mr. Robin Cook (Livingston)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 impact of the announcement that there is to be no uprating of child benefit.I shall submit full reasons why I seek this debate, all of which are relevant to the considerations set out in the Standing Order which specifies that the matter must be urgent, specific and important.First, the matter is urgent. Work on the new books will start immediately and, if the House wishes to vary the decision to freeze child benefit, it must express its will now if the change is to take effect in time.
Secondly, the matter is specific and there is no other opportunity for the House to condescend on the specific matter of child benefit. Today's statement will eventually be presented to the House in a portmanteau order not open to amendment, and on which the House will be able to express its will to increase child benefit only by the perverse device of voting against the increase in a dozen other social security benefits. At present, we are not aware whether the Opposition will have a further Supply day this Session on which they might raise the matter.
Thirdly, the matter is important. It affects the weekly budgets of 7 million mothers who may find it strange that the Government can cut the value of their benefit without specific debate on it in Parliament. During the lifetime of this Government the number of children living below the poverty line has increased to one in five. For them, the value of child support is a matter of the greatest importance.
Finally, the importance of this matter goes beyond the immediate impact on the value of child benefit. Today's freeze and the exchanges in the House are clear signals that the Government are not committed to child benefit, whatever they said before the last election. They are now seeking the abolition of child benefit by stealth. It is essential that they are not permitted to do it in stealth, but are obliged to come openly to the House and establish whether they have a majority in Parliament for cutting child benefit.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman 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 impact of the announcement that there is to be no uprating of child benefit.I listened carefully to the hon. Gentleman's submission and to what was said during the answers following the statement. As he knows, my sole duty in considering an application under Standing Order No. 20 is to decide whether it should be given priority over the business set down for this evening or on Monday. I regret that I cannot find that the matter meets all the criteria laid down in the Standing Order and I cannot therefore submit his application to the House.