§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ Second Reading deferred till Friday 29 January.
§ Mr. Harry Cohen (Leyton)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The Government Whip, the hon. Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Hughes), objected to my Homicide (Defence of Provocation) Bill, but there is a very strong case for the Government to review all the cases of women in prison at the moment—
Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman has been here long enough to know that there can be no debate at present.
§ Mr. Simon HughesOn a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker—it has nothing to do with Bills, you will be happy to hear.
A report in today's Yorkshire Post states that a National Audit Office report on the costs of the nuclear industry is being kept secret until a later date. The implication is that it will be a date after the Select Committee on Trade and Industry has been able to complete its report on the energy review. Indeed, the implication is that the National Audit Office report is being suppressed until after the House will have had a chance to debate the energy White Paper and the subject in general.
I seek your guidance, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Clearly that report is germane to both other reports. Clearly the report was compiled by a public authority on a subject that will 683 be coming before the House. Will you rule, either now or later, on whether there is anything that hon. Members can do to get that report into the open in time for it to play a part in the debate?