§ 35. Mr. SkinnerTo ask the Lord President of the Council how many Divisions have taken place in the House since January; and what was the figure for a comparable period in 1994. [27634]
§ Mr. NewtonThe number of Divisions in the House for the period from Tuesday 10 January 1995 to Friday 9 June 1995 inclusive was 129. That period represented 90 sitting days. During the first 90 sitting days of 1994, covering the period from Tuesday 11 January 1994 to Thursday 26 May 1994 inclusive, there were 202 Divisions.
§ Mr. SkinnerDoes the Leader of the House agree that there has been a dramatic change since the Jopling proposals were introduced in the House? I could not for the life of me understand why Tory Back Benchers, almost certainly facing a Labour Government in the near future, would want to throw away the opportunity to oppose that Labour Government. Then I suddenly realised why: because most of them realise that there will be a Canadian whitewash, and they will not have jobs.
§ Mr. NewtonAn above-average amount of ingenuity is being shown this afternoon—quite apart from the first question. The principal reason for the figures that I have just given is likely not to have been the Jopling changes but the fact that the usual channels were not operating in the first half of last year.