§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.
§ Mr. Tony Banks (Newham, North-West)Does anyone not have a point of order?
§ Mr. SpeakerA good question. Mr. Heffer first.
§ Mr. Eric S. Heffer (Liverpool, Walton)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, when my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Mr. Powell) raised some points with the Prime Minister in relation to the chairman of the Conservative party, you were quick to rush in and tell him that the Prime Minister had no responsibility. I did not argue with that; we all know she has not.
But today, the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) raised the question of Labour party policy. He droned on for some time and you did not make a move, Mr. Speaker, in relation to that matter. If we are to have a decision about Conservative party policy—I do not disagree with that—then the same must apply to the Labour party and—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.
§ Mr. HefferIt must apply to the Labour party and—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.
§ Mr. Heffer—to any other party in the House.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. No. This is an abuse. The hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer) has been here long enough to know that we frequently discuss party politics across the Floor of the Chamber. What happened yesterday—and I am not prepared to go over what happened yesterday—as the hon. Member for Walton well knows, is that there was a question to the Prime Minister from the hon. Member for Ogmore (Mr. Powell) about an individual Member, the hon. Member for Clwyd, North-West (Sir A. Meyer). It was not about the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
§ Mr. James Pawsey (Rugby and Kenilworth)Further to the point of order raised by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer), Mr. Speaker. Is it not a fact that the real point at issue—
§ Mr. HefferI had not finished.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman must not seek to bully me. I have given the hon. Member an answer. Mr. Pawsey.
§ Mr. HefferBut, Mr. Speaker—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.
§ Mr. PawseyFurther to the point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is not the real point at issue the fact that no Member rose from the Opposition Benches actually to say what Labour policy was on the discount of council houses?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. That is a clear continuation of Question Time. I will take points of order now, if they are 892 matters with which I can deal, but we cannot have a continuation of Question Time or, as I have said to the hon. Member for Walton, a continuation of what went on yesterday. That was bad enough.
§ Mr. Allan Stewart (Eastwood)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. News is just coming through that a helicopter on hire by Strathclyde police has crashed on a sheltered housing complex near Eastwood Toll in my constituency. I understand that at least one death has been reported so far. Would you consider sympathetically a request from the Scottish Office for a statement to be made on the matter in the near future?
§ Mr. SpeakerThat is not a matter for me, although I am sure that the House will be distressed to hear what the hon. Gentleman had to say. However, I am sure that his comments have been heard by the Government Front Bench.
§ Mr. Denis Howell (Birmingham, Small Heath)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. With great respect, and understanding your problems, you will be aware that, just before 3.30 pm, you called the hon. Member for Bury, South (Mr. Sumberg), who asked a very important question about attracting the Olympic games to this country. He associated that point, quite rightly, with the vital question of South Africa and the views of the British Government which will dominate that matter. However, you did not find it possible to call a Labour Member, not even myself. I wonder whether you could exercise a little tolerance so that we can express our views about that matter.
§ Mr. SpeakerI saw the right hon. Gentleman looking at the clock, which read 3.31 pm. Question Time ends at 3.30 pm, and I am sorry that I was not able to call him.
§ Mr. Nicholas Bennett (Pembroke)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Have you received a request from the hon. Members for Kingston upon Hull, East (Mr. Prescott), for Stockton, North (Mr. Cook) or for Glasgow, Shettleston (Mr. Marshall) for a statement by a member of the Treasury Front Bench on the apparent unclearness of the Customs regulation?
§ Mr. SpeakerI have not.
§ Mr. Dave Nellist (Coventry, South-East)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I respectfully ask that later this afternoon you obtain a transcript of the Official Report of the last few minutes of Question Time. If you would be so kind, would you read the question from the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey)—Question No. 15—because I believe that at the time that he asked his question you were being distracted? I could see the Clerks in front of you trying to attract your attention to make the point that I am about to make.
I for one, and I suspect many of my hon. Friends also, do not mind if Tory Members want to raise aspects of Labour party policy, because we are quite capable of answering those points—as long as the application of the rules of the House are wide enough to allow my hon. Friends such as my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Mr. Powell) yesterday, the same rights as—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. No. As far as the Clerks are concerned, they were, I think, warning me about the time. It was getting on for 3.30 pm.
§ Mr. NellistYou are smiling.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Surely the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Nellist) is not suggesting that it is open to him and his hon. Friends to attack the Government for their policies, but not to hear an attack from the Government on Opposition policies. That would not be fair.
§ Mr. Robert Adley (Christchurch)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Just a simple point: is it in order for an hon. Member to incite people to break the law? If it is, will you at least deprecate that?
§ Mr. SpeakerEvery hon. Member must take responsibility for what he says here, to ensure that it is in order, and also for his actions.
§ Mr. Richard Tracey (Surbiton)Further to that point of order. The hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Nellist) has put out a press release headed "MPs defy the Poll Tax". The paper on which that press release is printed carries the House of Commons portcullis crest and also a note of a House of Commons telephone number for inquiries about that incitement to break the law. Will you rule whether the rules of the House in any way allow the use of the portcullis and House of Commons telephone lines to incite breaches of the law?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe whole House knows that that is not in order. If the hon. Gentleman has evidence of that, he should, as I said yesterday when a similar matter was raised, send that evidence to the Services Committee which deals with such matters.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. This is an Opposition day. If there are points of order with which I can deal, I will take them.
§ Mr. Hugh Dykes (Harrow, East)Could not the difficulty manifested in the turmoil today and yesterday be neatly resolved if you were to say that, when hon. Members make points of order they should distinguish between two new categories—television points of order and real points of order?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I have my own private thoughts on matters of that kind.
§ Mr. Roger King (Birmingham, Northfield)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You have a reputation second to none for safeguarding Members of this House. I wonder whether you could use your position and your involvement with the Commonwealth Speakers Conference to have a word with the Speaker in Singapore about whether he will take steps to ensure that hon. Members visiting Singapore have their affairs safeguarded. In a recent case, three 894 Members fell for a situation in which a shopkeeper gave a very low receipt. This has caused problems in this country. If you, Sir, were to have a word with the Singapore Speaker, and if Members who were overseas were looked after properly, this sort of embarrassment would not occur.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am not certain that the Speaker in Singapore would relish that added responsibility.
§ Mr. Robert Hayward (Kingswood)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Two and a half years ago, in response to a query from my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham (Mr. Couchman), you deprecated the Liberals' habit of putting down questions relating specifically to other Members' constituencies. There is a series of early-day motions on the Order Paper that relate specifically to the constituencies of Members of this House. Does your deprecation of questions, both oral and written, relating to specific constituencies extend to early-day motions?
§ Mr. SpeakerThis matter has been drawn to my attention, and I am considering what I can legitimately do about it.
§ Mr. Barry Field (Isle of Wight)You, Mr. Speaker, are responsible for the proper conduct in and working of this House. I believe that the influence of Militant Tendency on MPs' conduct is a matter of considerable concern to Members on both sides. You, Sir, will not be aware that the Isle of Wight Labour party has condemned the "Don't pay, won't pay" campaign against the poll tax or community charge—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Member is seeking to carry on Question Time. The point that he seeks to raise is not a matter for me.
§ Mr. SpeakerThis is an Opposition day, but I will call Mr. Cohen.
§ Mr. Harry Cohen (Leyton)You will know, Mr. Speaker, that there is considerable difficulty in raising questions about the internal workings of government—in fact, it is impossible to do so—yet it has been widely reported that the Secretary of State for the Environment, who is just leaving the Chamber, was humiliated by the Prime Minister when she restored the trade in ivory and thus put the African elephant at risk—a matter which concerns many hon. Members. Would it be possible to table questions about the Prime Minister overruling the Secretary of State for the Environment—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I hope that in this House we will maintain our tradition of debating party policies rather than individual differences within parties. That is not our traditional practice in this House.