Points of Order (Hansard, 3 March 1994)

§ Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. May I first wish you a happy St Winwaloe's day? The matter that I wish to raise with you is connected with that subject, and with your ruling that starred questions get a greater priority now than they did in the past.
I had a question selected for answer next Monday, but it has been transferred—quite irrationally—to the Secretary of State for Wales. The question was addressed to the Secretary of State for National Heritage, and concerned Cornwall. The Government may be now saying that Cornwall is a part of Wales, and I can understand that decision.
I have had many conversations with the Department of National Heritage since then, and have pointed out that the matter concerns national heritage. The question related to the heritage and the language of Cornwall, which is the responsibility of that Department, and not the Welsh Office. I have had conversations with the Table Office as well, and there seems to be no way to re-star a question which has been removed, which is of great disadvantage to those hon. Members fortunate enough to have questions selected.

§ Madam Speaker
I hope that the hon. Gentleman has pursued or will pursue the matter with the relevant Minister. It is within the Minister's discretion to decide whether a question is within his responsibility. I have no authority to intervene in that. It is up to the Minister to determine whether the question relates to him or to some other Department.

§ Mr. Flynn
Further to that point of order, Madam Speaker. I have raised the matter on a daily basis with the Department involved since Monday. The only conclusion is that the Government have decided that Cornwall is a part of Wales, which is a matter of some celebration on St. Winwaloe's day.

§ Madam Speaker
I quite understand that the hon. Gentleman was just seeking to make a point about extending the Principality.

§ Mr. David Hanson (Delyn)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I seek your guidance on what I hope is a genuine point of order—[Interruption.] The point of order of my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) was also a genuine point of order. Is it in order for demonstrations such as that which took place during Prime Minister's Question Time today to take place? I for one was shocked at the demonstration. If that sort of behaviour had taken place in the Strangers Gallery, it would have resulted in the removal of people from that Gallery.

§ Madam Speaker
In this place, we proceed by debate and argument and not by flag-waving. I prefer us to use the old-fashioned methods of debate and argument in the Chamber.

§ Mr. Hanson
rose—

§ Madam Speaker
I will take no further point of order.

§ Mr. Bob Cryer (Bradford, South)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Often, when there are outrageous scenes on one side, it is difficult for you as Speaker always to intervene when there is a large number of hooligans on the Conservative Benches at once. I am sure you would agree that that is often corrected in the Chamber by people on this side taking retaliatory action. If that sort of action continues, we shall have no compunction about bringing in a large number of copies of the current issue of Scallywag.

§ Madam Speaker
I am sure that that is not at all necessary. I dealt with the matter today, and I do not wish to see any other form of demonstration from either side of the House. As I say, argument and debate are what we are about here.

§ Mr. Michael Bates (Langbaurgh)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I seek your guidance on the implementation of Standing Order No. 42, particularly as it relates to the disgraceful attack by the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) on my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Duncan) during business questions.

§ Madam Speaker
Order. That matter has been dealt with. One of the things that we do here is deal with matters immediately. The matter is now over and done with.