§ Mr. Bob Cryer, supported by Mrs. Alice Mahon, Mr. Tony Banks, Mr. Andrew F. Bennett, Mr. Dennis Canavan, Mr. Terry Lewis, Mr. Pat Wall, Mr. Dennis Skinner, Mr. Max Madden, Mr. Dave Nellist, Mr. Eric S. Heffer and Mr. John Hughes, presented a Bill to provide a public register of organisations who carry out the lobbying of Parliament for commercial gain and the disclosure of expenditure by such organisations; and for connected purposes. And the same was read the First time; and ordered to be read a Second time upon Friday 26 January and to be printed. [Bill 53.]
§ Mr. D. N. Campbell-Savours (Workington)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. [HON. MEMBERS: "Declare your interest."] I always have done. [Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. It is intolerable to have this pointing across the Chamber. The point of order is to me. I must hear it.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursHave you seen early-day motion 290, which questions the right of members of the press lobby to publish information on the proceedings of the House? Have you read the motion, Mr. Speaker? While it refers to me, it then
calls upon the Select Committee on the Televising of the House to review the terms upon which the Chamber and committees are televised to seek to prevent further similar uses of the proceedings of the House.The motion is similar to asking the Services Committee to prevent newspapers from publishing the proceedings of Parliament, which in itself means that there are 43 hon. Members who think that they have the right to require The Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Independent and every national newspaper to refrain from publishing information which they believe should be in the public domain.
The motion is an attempt to censor the House of Commons and to censor hon. Members because we are raising issues relating to the private interests of Members of Parliament, an issue of great public concern.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe early-day motion is on the Order Paper. The matter cannot be debated now. It was not drawn to my attention when it was put down.
Ten-minute rule motion—
§ Mr. Nicholas Bennett (Pembroke)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. We have a very heavy day ahead of us. I will take the point of order if it is on a completely different matter, but not on the question of Members' interests.
§ Mr. BennettIt is on the circulation of the Register. The programme to which the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) referred was very one-sided. It referred only to Conservative Members. Could you arrange, Mr. Speaker, for a copy of the Register of Members' Interests to be sent to Granada Television so that it may see, for 165 instance, that the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) has three adviserships? No mention was made of Labour Members who are advisers and consultants.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I saw the programme. It was in the light of it that I made my statement this afternoon.
§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)On a further point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerIs it on the same matter?
§ Mr. SkinnerYes, it is.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am not hearing it, in that case.
§ Mr. SkinnerOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerIs it on a genuinely different matter?
§ Mr. SkinnerIt is as vital as some of those that you have had from the Tories.
§ Mr. SpeakerI will only hear it if it is on a different matter.
§ Mr. SkinnerYes, it is a genuine point of order.
§ Mr. SpeakerWhat I said was, is it on a different matter?
§ Mr. SkinnerIt is a genuine point of order. If those Tories can—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.
§ Mr. SkinnerWe have every right to—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Member must sit down. Ten-minute rule motion, Mr. Jeremy Corbyn.
§ Mr. SkinnerOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am not hearing it.
§ Mr. SkinnerIt is on a different matter.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member is seeking to abuse the procedures of the House. I ask the hon. Gentleman to sit down.
§ Mr. SkinnerIt is on a different matter.
§ Mr. SpeakerI ask the hon. Gentleman to sit down.
§ Mr. SkinnerThose Tories—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. In that case, I now order the hon. Gentleman to sit down.