§ Mr. Barry Field (Isle of Wight)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. As you will be aware, the shire counties, with the exception of the Isle of Wight, are represented in this House by between five and 15 Members of Parliament. It has always been my experience that you, Mr. Speaker, have always been most generous in allowing me to put my point of view on behalf of my county. I hope that you will appreciate that when announcements such as we have had this afternoon are made there are at least five chances for the views of the constituents of every other county represented in the House to be made.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am sorry for the hon. Gentleman. I have listened to what he has said but he will perhaps have other opportunities to raise this matter later today.
§ Mr. Dick Douglas (Dunfermline, West)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. On previous occasions, particularly on Scottish questions, you have allowed English Members to intervene in the contributions of the Secretary of State for Scotland on the basis that this is a United Kingdom Parliament. In the Secretary of State for the Environment's statement he alluded to Scotland, but you, Mr. Speaker, did not call any hon. Member from anywhere outside England during a statement which affected Scotland. Therefore, would you reconsider your views on Scottish Question Time?
§ Mr. SpeakerNo. The hon. Gentleman knows that today's statement did not apply directly to Scotland. There were a large number of hon. Members with English interests to whom it did apply and who, sad to say, were not called.
§ Mrs. Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I wish to raise a matter which is of concern to hon. Members on both sides of the House. You may remember that last week there was a dispute over whether United Kingdom military aid was being given to Cambodian guerrillas fighting side by side with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. In answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen), the Minister said that he had no further comment to make on the question. In answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin), the Leader of the House effectively blocked that question. The answer is important because I am told that, at this moment, according to the Chinese——
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Is this a matter of order in the House? What has it to do with me?
§ Mrs. ClwydIt is a matter of the question being blocked. It is important because a Chinese report states that 17,000 people have already been killed in Cambodia. The military aid which it is alleged we give is not the sort of aid which we want to give. I hope that you, Mr. Speaker, will assist us to raise the matter of the blocking of this question because lives are at stake.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Lady has had her say, but this is not a matter for me. There will be other opportunities for raising this important issue.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I hope that hon. Members whom I have unfortunately been unable to call will not persist in rising.
§ Mr. Chris Mullin (Sunderland, South)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Last week I tabled a question to the Ministry of Defence to ask how many members of the British armed forces were engaged in training Cambodian guerrillas, where they were based, what their rank was, when the programme commenced and what the cost was to public funds. On 30 October I received an answer stating that it was not the practice to provide information of this nature.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. As the House knows, I am not responsible for answers to questions. That is not a matter for me at all.
§ Mr. Mullinrose——
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. It is not a matter for me. I repeat that I am not responsible for the answers that are given to questions.
§ Mr. MullinIt is.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman referred to an answer that he had received——
§ Mr. D. N. Campbell-Savours (Workington)It was a blocking motion.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. If the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) wishes to have the rules changed, he must approach the Procedure Committee. I am bound by the rules.
§ Mr. Tony Banks (Newham, North-West)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I realise that you have a difficult job. In common with the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Field), I wish to point out that I have spent the past two hours jumping up and down like a demented jack-in-the-box. Do you honestly think that that time was usefully spent?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman must make that decision for himself. I called other London Members.
§ Mr. Mullinrose——
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am not taking the hon. Gentleman's point of order because it is not a matter for me.
§ Mr. Mullinrose——
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am on my feet.
§ Mr. Mullinrose——
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I will hear the hon. Gentleman, but it must be a matter on which I can adjudicate.
§ Mr. MullinI am grateful to you, Mr. Speaker. My point of order is that British taxpayers' money is being spent on military aid in Cambodia. My understanding is that the Government are accountable to Parliament for the expenditure of taxpayers' money. It is not good enough for the Government blandly to decline to account to Parliament for that expenditure. Will you, Mr. Speaker, use your influence to ensure that a Government Minister comes to the House and explains what is happening?
§ Mr. SpeakerI have no authority to bring Ministers to the House. The hon. Gentleman had his say, so perhaps he has done the job for himself.