Points of Order (Hansard, 17 February 1992)

Several Hon. Members
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Before I take points of order, may I say that there are two three-hour debates, which are timed, and a further debate of an hour and a half, in which many other hon. Members wish to participate, so I hope that points of order are on matters with which I can deal?

§ Mr. Win Griffiths (Bridgend)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Have the Government made a request for the Secretary of State for the Environment to make a statement about the National Audit Office report, which shows that the taxpayer forked out over £2 billion too much for the disastrous water privatisation, and that the then Secretary of State for the Environment made secret £2 million payments to companies handling privatisation?

§ Mr. Speaker
I have had no such request, but I understand that the Public Accounts Committee may look at this matter.

§ Mr. Robert G. Hughes (Harrow, West)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. During questions on the statement, an allegedly leaked letter was prayed in aid in support of an argument. My concern is that the Labour health spokesman, the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) has clearly, we all now know, organised industrial espionage and theft so as to get the information used—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order.

§ Mr. D. N. Campbell-Savours (Workington)
What about Waldegrave's PPS?

Several Hon. Members
Withdraw.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Let me deal with this, please. The hon. Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Hughes) must not make such an allegation against an hon. Member. He should withdraw the word "theft".

§ Mr. Hughes
On your instruction, Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the word "theft". The point that I am making is that somebody close to the hon. Member for Livingston is plainly implicated in this. Should not the hon. Gentleman explain to the House how he comes by these documents so regularly? Is it not an abuse of the House that the hon. Gentleman comes to the Opposition Despatch Box and uses that information, and uses it deliberately to mislead?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman must not say such things. He has now been in the House for the duration of a full Parliament. Will he please put himself in order, and withdraw that last comment?

§ Mr. Hughes
I shall change it to "inadvertently to mislead".

§ Mr. Speaker
That is almost as bad. In any case, I think that the whole House would deprecate the use of leaked information, whatever its source.

§ Mr. Allan Rogers (Rhondda)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker—the point of order raised by the hon. Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Hughes). May I seek your advice? That was at least the third occasion on which I have heard the hon.—well—Gentleman name an 39 Opposition Member on a point of order. You pointed out to him, Mr. Speaker, that it would be normal courtesy, and decent of him, to inform the hon. Member concerned before naming him. I realise that we are in the middle of the lead-up to a general election, but for the hon. Member for Harrow, West to keep on doing this contravenes all the protocols and courtesies of the House.

§ Mr. Speaker
I hope very much that at all times, but especially just before a general election, hon. Members will adhere to the conventions of the House, which are of long standing and enable our business to proceed in good order.

§ Mr. Terry Davis (Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, which has nothing to do with the preceding points of order.
As the Comptroller and Auditor General is an officer of the House, Mr. Speaker, will you ask him to speed up the publication of the National Audit Office report on the accident and emergency service—especially in view of the fact that the position at the Worcester royal infirmary has now become so bad that two doctors are reported to have resigned in protest?

§ Mr. Speaker
I shall need to look into that matter. I shall be in touch with the hon. Gentleman about it.

§ Mr. Barry Porter (Wirral, South)
On a very short point of order, Mr. Speaker, may I revert to what my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Hughes) said earlier? A leak, as I understand it, is generally accidental. What should we call information that is not given accidentally—information that is given deliberately to the House?

§ Mr. Speaker
It is not for me to say. As I have said, I deprecate the use of such information on the Floor of the House.

§ Mr. Harry Ewing (Falkirk, East)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I shall be brief, but I regard this as important. I am addressing you in your role as Chairman 40 of the Speaker's Conference—which, as you know, deals with electoral matters—rather than in your role as Speaker.
It probably escaped your notice, but, at the weekend, a very senior member of the Scottish National party suggested in Scotland that no one over the age of 35 should be allowed to vote in the forthcoming general election in that country. That would not affect me; I should still be able to vote. What would your attitude be, however, if such an outrageous suggestion were submitted to you on behalf of the SNP—if it were proposed that all the old-age pensioners in Scotland, and all other people over 35, should be disfranchised?

§ Mr. Speaker
As it happens, that piece of information did escape me. Last weekend, I paid a visit to Ulster—which I thoroughly enjoyed—so I do not know about the matter that the hon. Gentleman has raised; but he said "if the suggestion were submitted", and it has not been so submitted.

§ Mrs. Margaret Ewing (Moray)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. As a Scottish nationalist over the age of 35, may I assure you that there has been no such suggestion? The hon. Member for Falkirk, East (Mr. Ewing) should not believe everything that he reads in certain newspapers.

§ Mr. Speaker
Perhaps the kindest thing that I can say is, perhaps that was another leak.

§ Rev. Ian Paisley (Antrim, North)
Further to those points of order, Mr. Speaker. May I say that your visit to Northern Ireland was widely welcomed? All parties in the House were represented at your reception, and we wish you and your good lady well. Let me remind you that you are the only Speaker who, as yet, has not thrown me out of the House: I appreciate that.

§ Mr. Speaker
I thank the hon. Gentleman—but I think that we had now better move on.