§ Sir Wyn Roberts (Conwy)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You will have noticed the total absence of Welsh Labour Members from Question Time today—not to mention members of Plaid Cymru and members of other Opposition parties. I am sure that today will go down in history as a "boyocott"; but surely this abdication of duty by the Opposition has implications. Would you consider it worth while looking into precisely what they are?
§ Madam SpeakerNo, I will deal with one at a time. I do not think that there are many implications. I thought that perhaps there had been a spate of heavy summer colds—an epidemic passing through Wales—but my assessment may be naive.
§ Mr. John Biffen (Shropshire, North)Further to that point of order, Madam Speaker. Did it occur to you that the quality of Welsh questions was enormously improved today? I wonder, in those circumstances, whether you might use your good offices to have today's proceedings made into a permanent routine.
§ Madam SpeakerUsually I do not take further points of order on a matter that I have dealt with, but hon. Members are clearly in high spirits today—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. I am not deaf. As the House seems to be in rather high spirits, I call the Welsh Member, Mr. Flynn.
§ Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West)Thank you, Madam Speaker. You may have noticed that 32 Welsh Opposition Members who represent 90 per cent. of the people of Wales decided today to unstar their questions, because they saw no point in listening to lectures on Wales by a Minister who has been in office for four days. It appears that all he can tell Members who have experience of Welsh politics going back 30 years is that they should listen to the one-liners that he has crammed into his head over the past few days.
No discourtesy to the House or to you, Madam Speaker, was intended, but we must make the point that we in Wales are being treated as a colony, with a Secretary of Svite who does not represent a single Welsh vote.
§ Madam SpeakerI am glad to have been informed of the real reasons.
§ Mr. John Marshall (Hendon, South)Further to that point of order, Madam Speaker. Is it not grossly discourteous of the hon. Members for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) and for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) not to be here to ask the Secretary of State for Wales their questions, and, then to turn up later to ask other questions? May we be told how much those unanswered questions cost the taxpayer? Surely their behaviour is discourteous and a waste of public money?
§ Madam SpeakerIf the hon. Gentleman believes that it is a waste of taxpayers' money, perhaps he might like to table a question, after which we shall all know the answer.
§ Mr. Spencer Batiste (Elmet)If Welsh Members cannot be bothered to ask their questions, is there not a case for offering time to Yorkshire Members or Members representing parts of other regions of England, who are denied specific questions by the present arrangements?
§ Madam SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman might like to put that suggestion to the Procedure Committee.
§ Madam SpeakerYes, I can hear you. I call the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).
§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)On another topic, Madam Speaker. Have any representations been made to you to have a statement from the Government—obviously, it would be passed by the Deputy Prime Minister, who deals with everything now in governmental terms—about the French taking over the Greenpeace ship during the weekend? Surely this is a matter of public concern. Would it not have been right and proper for absent Ministers to present themselves at the Dispatch Box to explain why, at the recent Cannes summit, the Prime Minister gave a nod and a wink to Chirac to allow the French to take the dastardly action that they took this weekend? He acted like a fool.
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. As the hon. Gentleman and the House know, no statement is to be made on that subject today. If the hon. Gentleman is keen about it, he could always apply for an Adjournment debate. Lady Luck might look his way.
§ Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North)As I understand it, Madam Speaker, Ministers are accountable to the House. I wish to bring to your notice the fact that there is no list of responsibilities for the Deputy Prime Minister. We are told in the press that the Deputy Prime Minister, No. 2 in the Cabinet list, will have tremendous responsibilities and powers, perhaps even greater in some respects than those of the Prime Minister.
The Vote Office has no list of the Deputy Prime Minister's responsibilities. How can we question him? I have been to the Table Office. The officials, as ever, have been very helpful and courteous. They told me that they have not been notified. We shall be tabling questions for Ministers when we return after the long summer recess: how can we table questions to the Deputy Prime Minister? What are his responsibilities? I hope that you will be able to advise me, Madam Speaker.
§ Madam SpeakerI am very interested in the point raised by the hon. Gentleman. I refer him to the answer given by the Leader of the House last Thursday, in which he said that it was felt that the
sensible course would be to maintain the current rota"—that is, of questions—until the end of this bit of the term … and then consider revised arrangements reflecting the new position for the next Session. I include in that whatever might be appropriate arrangements for the First Secretary of State."—[Official Report, 6 July 1995; Vol. 263, c. 536.]As I have said, questions were answered on the point during business questions last Thursday.
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. I have answered as far as I can. it is a matter for the Leader of the House. He made his position clear on behalf of the Government last Thursday.
§ Mr. Jeremy Corbyn (Islington, North)I want to ask a question about maritime law, Madam Speaker, as it affects the House. Have you had any requests from the Foreign Secretary or any Foreign Office Minister to make a statement about the French unilateral declaration of a total exclusion zone around Mururoa atoll and their blatant attack on an unarmed civilian ship in those waters by their own commandos? The threat to peace in that region—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder.. The answer is no, I have not.
§ Mr. SkinnerHere is the paper for the Adjournment debate.
§ Madam SpeakerApplication happily received.
§ Mr. Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. The Secretary of State for Wales referred to my withdrawing a question. That is not correct. I had the question unstarred, and it will be subject to a written reply. The question was tabled when the then Secretary of State for Wales was doubling up as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The question related explicitly to how he split his duties and was schizophrenic.
Is it not time that we considered the framework of Question Time? We spent 15 minutes today on the Church of England, which I put to you, Madam Speaker, is nothing to do with a modern-day Parliament—[HON. MEMBERS: "NO."]—but spent only 15 minutes on our criminal justice and court system? It is all out of scale and proportion.
§ Madam SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman must be aware that he does not have the support of the House on that, but whether or not he does, his is an opinion that he has every right to express here.
§ Mr. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cirencester and Tewkesbury)Further to that point of order, Madam Speaker.
§ Madam SpeakerNo, there are no further points of order. We are not having debates about these matters. If the hon. Member for Thurrock (Mr. Mackinlay), or any hon. Member, wishes to see changes, there is the Procedure Committee to look at these matters.