Points of Order (Hansard, 14 May 1991)

§ Mr. Patrick Nicholls (Teignbridge)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I seek your guidance about an exchange of correspondence to which some of today's newspapers refer. Apparently, there has been an exchange of correspondence between my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Leader of the Opposition. In his letter, my right hon. Friend calls upon the Leader of the Opposition to clarify how the next Labour Government would spend more than the present Government by actually spending less—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I see that the hon. Member has a copy of "Erskine May" in his hands. So have I. Can he come to a point of order for me? I am not responsible for exchanges of letters.

§ Mr. Nicholls
It is indeed a point of order for you, Mr. Speaker. It touches on your responsibility for the Library of the House, to which "Erskine May", on page 196 of the 21st edition, refers. I have been able to ascertain that the Chief Secretary's letter is in the Library. Can you, Sir, take steps to ensure that the response will be available in the Library within the next 24 hours?

§ Mr. Speaker
So far as I know, it has never been the responsibility of the Chair to see that exchanges of that kind are placed in the Library.

§ Mr. Gerald Bermingham (St. Helens, South)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Secretary of State for Health is still in his place. In answer to question No. 9 from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Field), during the chaos of Question Time—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. This sounds like an extension of Question Time. What is the point of order for me?

§ Mr. Bermingham
The point of order is that the Secretary of State, in reply to the question, indicated that a member of the British Medical Association, who happens to be a doctor in the Isle of Wight, ought not to perform his functions as an elected member, but should stay in his surgery. It has always been a convention of this House—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I am not responsible for questions that are asked or for answers that are given, provided that they are in order. So far as I am aware, these were in order.

§ Mrs. Alice Mahon (Halifax)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Does the hon. Lady wish to take time from that allotted to the Opposition?

§ Mrs. Mahon
On a genuine point of order, Mr. Speaker.I wonder if you have received a communication from a constituent of mine who is writing to you about a £364,000 city grant given to Barratt, the building company, to build homes in my constituency. My constituent wrote to you because of serious allegations that have arisen in recent days. On receipt of that communication, would you allow time for an inquiry into those allegations about the misuse of public funds?

§ Mr. Speaker
I have to say that I have not received that letter, although I receive a wide range of letters from members of the general public. At first sight, I cannot see that it has much to do with me. However, when I receive the letter, I shall consider it carefully.