§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday treated the unemployed with contempt by uttering a slur against them and telling them that it was necessary for them to be thrown on the scrap heap, creating a pile of human misery, in order to carry out the Government's policies. Has the right hon. Gentleman approached you with a view to making an apology in the House to the unemployed? Because he attacked them in so severe a fashion yesterday, he should before this day is out do his duty and come here to apologise to the unemployed.
§ Mr. SpeakerI have had no such intimation. Indeed, I do not recollect that speech. Was it made here?
§ Mr. Simon Hughes (Southwark and Bermondsey)Further to a point of order that was made yesterday, Mr. Speaker. You will recall that last night, after 10 o'clock, the Government moved that the Planning and Compensation Bill [Lords] debate be adjourned, and when you asked what day it would be resumed, the reply was, "tomorrow".
That measure appears not to feature on today's Order Paper. I wonder, first, whether that is proper—that having said that it would be on today, it is not down for debate today—and, secondly, whether we can take the inference from that that, like the general election, it has been postponed indefinitely.
§ Mr. SpeakerI explained last night—the hon. Member has been here long enough to appreciate this—that "tomorrow" was a kind of code for any day. In any event, the Bill appears as item 43 on page 3213 of the Order Paper today, where it says "to be considered."