Points of Order (Hansard, 2 March 1992)

§ Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Have you had any request from the Secretary of State for Health to make a statement? I raise this matter because it has been reported that four patients under the care of the hospital trust of Guy's and Lewisham have died because there was no money to pay for their continued heart surgery. That has been confirmed by Dr. Graham Jackson, a consultant at Guy's, who is a member of the Conservative party. We have just rightly dealt—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. What is the point of order for me?

§ Mr. Winnick
The point of order is that it is an urgent matter that four people have apparently died as a result of the failure of the reorganisation of the health service. As a matter of urgency, I am asking you whether the Secretary of State for Health can be brought to the House to make a statement by 7 o'clock.

§ Mr. Speaker
The hon. Member knows that that was a good try but that it is not a matter for me.

§ Mr. Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh and Berwickshire)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You will know that, at last Thursday's business questions, I asked the Leader of the House to ask the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Scotland to make a statement about the changes that they propose to make to renovate and improve the A1. This morning, a press conference was held in Edinburgh. [Interruption.] My point of order is this. When the Government are in control of a press conference, they can leak in advance the contents of such a statement, whereas, if they were brought to the House to make a statement, it would be a contempt to do so. Have you no control as Speaker to lay down some guidelines for any predecessor to control such occurrences in future?

§ Mr. Speaker
Well—[Interruption.] I know that the hon. Gentleman meant "successors". I have had no request for such a statement. I heard what was said at business questions, but, of course, if we had to have a statement on absolutely everything that happened to every road in the country, we would not get very far down the Order Paper.

§ Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Did you see the sad story this weekend about an eight-week-old child who was refused admission to the Royal Bristol hospital for sick children because the surgeon insisted on a promise that funding would be available before he treated that baby? Subsequently, the baby died. Is it not absolutely right that we should discuss such cases in the House, and that the Secretary of State should make a statement by 7 o'clock?

§ Mr. Speaker
I am afraid that I did not see that report, because I paid a happy visit to the Principality of Wales and therefore did not have the opportunity to see the newspapers. That is the sort of subject that could well be raised on the Adjournment.

§ Mr. D. N. Campbell-Savours (Workington)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Last Friday you were in the Chair when the Minister of Agriculture made a statement on decommissioning. Do you intend to make a statement 20 about what happened, in the light of the precedent that appeared to be set, whereby on one day a written answer is given in Hansard, which no one sees, and the next day you feel obliged to allow a private notice question? If you were not to make a statement deprecating that as a procedure, surely it has major implications for the House of Commons.

§ Mr. Speaker
I think that the hon. Member knows that the Speaker is specifically enjoined never to give any reasons for his decisions. I granted that private notice question on Friday, and I was present for the proceedings.

§ Mr. Tony Banks (Newham, North-West)
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I went for a ball of chalk down the Mile End road this morning in my new whistle and saw a poster being put up which said that when Labour is elected it will deliver a "double-whammy". You ruled out Cockney rhyming slang earlier in our proceedings. First, do you know what a double-whammy is, and secondly will you make it clear that, if Cockney rhyming slang is banned in the House, Americanisms that have been imported for use during the election will also be banned?

§ Mr. Speaker
I am not an expert in rhyming slang and I have no idea what a "wham" is. Certainly, if it is in the Old Kent road or wherever, it is not raised in this Chamber.