§ Mr. Ray Powell (Ogmore)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I assume that you will shortly be holding a ballot for notices of motions for 27 November. I know that you are busy and must give a tremendous amount of thought to all the processes in the House. May I remind you, however, that last Wednesday you announced the names of those who were successful in the ballot for Friday 20 November. Last Wednesday we debated further the European Communities Bill. I expect that most hon. Members will remember that day. My name appeared in column 280 of the Official Report of 4 November as the first to be selected in the ballot for 20 November. In recent months, some Opposition Members have accused me of ballot rigging. I should not like anyone to suggest or imply that I have been responsible for rigging this ballot in any way.
In the blue pages of the Order Paper for 4 November, page 1179 reads:
Mr. Ray Powell … To call attention to a subject and to move a resolution".On 5 November, I received a letter from the Table Office informing me that I had been drawn first in the ballot of 4 November for Private Members' Notices of Motions and that, to have priority under Standing Order No. 13, I was requested to give notice of the subject before the rising of the House on Wednesday 11 November—today. Yesterday afternoon, I took the opportunity to give notice of the subject that I intend to move on 20 November. The subject was "the fear, plight and poverty of pensioners".When I put that to the Table Office, there was no suggestion that there had been any change or mistake about who had come first in the ballot for 20 November. Then, at near to midnight when I was in my room, the Clerk from the Table Office called to inform me that I did not have the number one spot for notice of motions for Friday 20 November, but that the hon. Member for Norfolk. North (Mr. Ralph Howell) did.
My point of order to you, Madam Speaker, is that six clear days elapsed between when I was informed of the change and when you announced from the Chair, and all Opposition Members believed, that I was first in the ballot for 20 November. I had been assured that the maximum publicity would centre on the important subject that I had chosen, especially this year. The local and national—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. It is not a matter for me.
§ Mr. PowellBut it is for you, Madam Speaker, to rule on the matter. There is no one else whom I can approach, My office has sent out publicity to pensioners' organisations throughout the country highlighting the problems and difficulties for pensioners, particularly now just before the onset of winter. Many pensioners are worried and fear that they will not be able to pay their bills, and are concerned about what will happen if they become homeless. As a result of the strong-arm tactics of the Whips Office last week that we read about—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. I want to hear no more about the Whips Office from a man who was himself a Whip. I can rule on the matter as the hon. Gentleman is now addressing the subject rather than speaking about technical matters.
§ Mr. PowellI was informed of the change last night, and protested that six days had elapsed. Madam Speaker, you know that we have only one or two days in which to notify the Official Report when we want anything altered. Its staff tell us that they will not alter any part of the report after two or three days. Why does the Table Office have a licence to alter the decision recorded in Hansard when preparations have already been made for my debate on 20 November? Why does the Table Office have the right to make alterations when hon. Members do not have a similar right? I want you, Madam Speaker, to rule that the announcement that you made a week ago today still stands and I can go ahead with my debate on 20 November.
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. I doubt that I need any further points of order after such a long explanation from the hon. Member for Ogmore (Mr. Powell).
I remember the day very well. The House was excited about a forthcoming debate. There is no question but that the successful candidate in the ballot was Mr. Ralph Howell, not Mr. Ray Powell. The mistake has been made, which is to be greatly regretted. I understand the anxiety of the hon. Member for Ogmore, who has done much to inform his constituents about the subject that he wished to raise only to find that it is not to be debated, which is also to be regretted. There is no doubt that Mr. Ralph Howell, not Mr. Ray Powell, was successful in the ballot. If the hon. Member for Ogmore looks at the Ballot Book, he will see that the number drawn out was clearly that of Mr. Ralph Howell. A mistake was subsequently made, for which there has been an apology. I do not know how lucky the hon. Gentleman is in ballots—I have never been successful—but if he waits a while he can see whether he is successful today.
§ Mr. Alun Michael (Cardiff, South and Penarth)Further to that point of order, Madam Speaker.
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. There can be nothing further to be said on that point of order. I have dealt with the matter.
§ Mr. Tony Marlow (Northampton, North)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I wonder whether your in-tray has, like mine, been burdened with a glossy piece of paper known as a baby Maastricht. The Foreign Office has called the document "Britain in Europe—the European Community and Your Future". If you have yet to receive a copy, you will be pleased to know that you can get one free through Freepost. However, if you were to scan its pages, I believe that you would be less than pleased as it is not objective, but blatant propaganda. I shall not weary the House with several examples of propaganda; I will give just one. It states:
Aren't we on a slippery slope to federalism?896 The Government say, "No", but we know that Martin Bangemann says, "Yes"—
§ Mr. Bob Cryer (Bradford, South)And he was speaking the truth.
§ Mr. MarlowAs the hon. Gentleman says—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. The point of order must be directed to me. The hon. Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) has raised points of order hundreds of times and knows the procedure.
§ Mr. MarlowI am sorry, Madam Speaker. Although I have been a Member for a long time, I am distracted from time to time, for which I apologise.
The leaflet is propaganda. I have obtained from the Library the background on the Governments information service which sets out the rules under which they must operate. It states that some conventions have been established and
Government publicity should be objective and explanatory, not tendentious or polemical"—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman is abusing the time of the House. I am patient when listening to points of order, but the hon. Gentleman has not yet come to his. The hon. Gentleman is arguing a case with me, but he is not in a position to do that. If he has a point of order for me, he must come directly to it or I shall ask him to resume his seat.
§ Mr. MarlowMadam Speaker, have you been asked by the Foreign Secretary whether he can give a statement on why the guidelines have been abused and why taxpayers' money is being provided to produce propaganda for circulation to taxpayers? If the Foreign Secretary has not requested a statement, what action is available to the House to stop the abuse?
§ Madam SpeakerThe latter question must be put to the Foreign Secretary, not the Chair. The answer to the earlier question is no—the Foreign Secretary has not informed me of a statement. No Minister asks me about a statement; I am informed when a statement is to be made. I have not been so informed.
We shall now move on to the ballot for notices of motions to see whether the hon. Member for Ogmore can be lucky this time.