§ Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I have your permission, Mr. Speaker, to raise, under Standing Order No. 20, the subject of the United Nations Secretary-General distancing himself from the coalition?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Member knows that I cannot grant the application that he wants to make today. I know that he feels strongly about the matter in question, but I must protect the spirit of the rules that cover Standing Order No. 20 applications. If the procedure is abused, it will put in jeopardy a prized opportunity for Back Benchers to raise legitimate requests for an emergency debate in prime time.
I remind the House of what I have said in the past. The right to make a three-minute submission to me on a new and urgent matter at 3.30 pm represents a valuable and very important opportunity for Back-Bench Members. I am anxious that it should not be devalued or threatened, as might be the case if the procedure were to be abused. I hope that I shall always have the support of the House in declining to hear applications that do not fall into that category.