Points of Order (Hansard, 20 January 1993)

§ Mr. Graham Riddick (Colne Valley)
May I ask for your guidance, Madam Speaker, on two issues relating to a matter which has recently come to my attention? I have notified the Members involved that I intended to raise the matter on the Floor of the House this afternoon. It has come to my attention that Sheffield city council subsidises the constituency offices of four Sheffield Members—the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts)—[Interruption.]—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. The matter which the hon. Gentleman is raising with me arises under Standing Order No. 128, which provides for complaints relating to the registration of interests. That must be considered by the Select Committee on Members' Interests. I have to tell the hon. Gentleman, and any other hon. Member who might be interested in such matters in the future, that such complaints should not be made to me on the Floor of the House. The subject should be raised immediately with the Select Committee on Members' Interests. I ask the hon. Gentleman to take that course of action now.

§ Mr. Riddick
I am grateful to you for pointing that out to me, Madam Speaker; I take that point on board entirely. I wish to raise another issue on which I should like your guidance. I was going to point out that the Sheffield Members are being subsidised to the tune of—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman must accept my guidance.

§ Mr. Riddick
rose—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. Is it a separate point?

§ Mr. Riddick
It is an entirely different point, Madam Speaker. I am pointing out, so that people may know the background, that Sheffield Members are being subsidised to the tune of £55,000—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. If the hon. Gentleman has a genuine point of order to raise with me, I am prepared to listen to it; but it must be directed to me.

§ Mr. Riddick
I should like to ask you for guidance on the propriety of Members of Parliament receiving additional public money for constituency offices.

§ Madam Speaker
Order. This is an abuse of the House. I ask the hon. Gentleman to resume his seat.

§ Mr. David Trimble (Upper Bann)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. May I draw your attention to question 1 on the Order Paper today, tabled by the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson). The question refers to "the north". It became clear during his question that he was referring to the north of England, which is, of course, to the south of Scotland and largely to the south of Northern Ireland. I do not intend any criticism of the hon. Member for Hartlepool because I am sure that he used the word in shorthand, but perhaps when such questions are tabled and accepted people could look at them more closely so that they are not misleading.

§ Madam Speaker
I take the hon. Gentleman's point. I am sometimes guilty of regarding myself as coming from "the north" and representing "the midlands".

§ Mr. Joseph Ashton (Bassetlaw)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. For the second time this week a Conservative Member has launched a campaign against an Opposition Member. On Monday the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie) attacked my hon. Friend the Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) without telling him that she intended to refer to him.
My hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) is chairing the Select Committee on Trade and Industry and has asked me to speak on his behalf. He has been accused by the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Riddick) when he cannot be here. It is a carefully chosen time. This is an orchestrated campaign. The protocol of the House is that Members should give notice that they intend to refer to other Members. This is a plot by Conservative Members.

§ Mr. Riddick
rose—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. I shall hear no more on that matter. I have heard one point of order from either side, and I shall now move on.

§ Mr. Robert Hughes (Aberdeen, North)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. During Question Time a Minister used abusive and unparliamentary language, and I apologise for not telling him that I intended to raise the matter. At the time, you said that you were temporarily distracted and that you were sure that the remark was made in good humour. I must draw your attention to the fact that it was certainly not regarded as good-humoured. Will you reflect upon the possibility that Members, and especially Ministers, having hurled abusive remarks, will further abuse the system and defend themselves by pretending that it was done in good humour?

§ Madam Speaker
I said at the time that I was distracted, as I think the House could see. From the reaction of the House, it seemed to me that the remark was taken in jest, and I hope that the matter can rest there.

§ Mr. Ian Bruce (South Dorset)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. May I ask for your general guidance about a matter that I wish to refer to one of the Committees of the House? At the weekend, 14 members of the Conservative party were accused by a member of the shadow Cabinet of having their votes bought—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. I must inform the hon. Gentleman that I do not give procedural advice across the Floor of the House. If he needs such advice, he should come to see me and he will be advised correctly.