§ Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe and Nantwich)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Has there been any request from the Secretary of State for Transport to come to the House this afternoon to make a statement about the Transport Research Laboratory? A written question is being put into the Library of the House at this moment, the contents of which are not known to me, but it concerns a highly important and quite unique research facility which has contributed over many years to the protection of many of our citizens, and if it is to be privatised or abandoned without the House getting the chance to debate it, it will be a crying and unacceptable shame.
§ Madam SpeakerAs the hon. Lady is aware, provided that an announcement is made to the House, it is for the Minister concerned to determine the met[...], of that announcement, and I have not been informed by any Minister that the Government are seeking to make a statement on the matter raised by the hon. Lady.
§ Mr. Andrew Rowe (Mid-Kent)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. During Question Time, the hon. Member for Worsley (Mr. Lewis) accused my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville) of sitting on his fat backside. Given the implication that there is something superior about having a thin backside, is that not so politically incorrect as to constitute unparliamentary language?
§ Madam SpeakerThe entire House knows what I feel about the custom of our exchanges. I have cautioned Members on this from time to time, but I get weary of repeating my views. All hon. Members know that good language is the essence of our exchanges here.
§ Mrs. Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Could you advise me whether the Secretary of State for the Environment has requested to make a statement to the House about the astonishing cuts in the environmental protection budget published yesterday—£16 million next year and then £32 million? In view of the constant statements to the House and our Select Committee about increasing concern for air pollution and the environment, it would be proper for him to explain that matter to the House.
§ Madam SpeakerThat is not a point of order but a question about next week's business, which the hon. Lady might put to the Leader of the House. In case any other hon. Members wish to ask me whether a Minister will give a statement today, let me tell them that the answer is no. If a statement were to be made, it would he shown on the Annunciator.
§ Mr. Quentin Davies (Stamford and Spalding)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Do not the workings of the House and its reputation outside depend to a large measure on the assumption of personal trustworthiness and honour between hon. Members? Were not those principles seriously threatened yesterday when one hon. Member appeared to have purloined papers belonging to another and read extracts from them to the House? Will you launch an investigation into the matter or assure us 695 that it will not happen again? If not, none of us will ever be able to assume the security of our papers, briefcases or offices in future.
§ Madam SpeakerI am not aware of the case to which the hon. Gentleman refers. If such a case occurs, it is as well to come directly to my office rather than wait a day and raise it on the Floor of the House. My office is always open; I live here, work 16 hours a day and am always willing to see hon. Members about any issue as serious as that.
§ Mr. Paddy Tipping (Sherwood)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I understand that the Secretary of State for Education would like to make a statement on nursery education expansion, but I am told that the Prime Minister wants a different statement—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. That is not a point of order.
§ Mr. David Shaw (Dover)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Column 583 of yesterday's Hansard shows that an hon. Member admitted to handling the stolen property of a Minister of the Crown. It is an incredible state of affairs in which an hon. Member stole papers from a civil servant, admitted that he did so and then used the papers in a debate.
§ Madam SpeakerI have no knowledge of the case that the hon. Gentleman raises with me. The copy of Hansard has just been passed to me. I shall look immediately at the matter as soon as I leave the Chair.
§ Mr. Mike Hall (Warrington, South)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You will be aware that, yesterday, the chief executive of the Student Loans Company was sacked because of financial irregularities in that company which have caused students great hardship. That is in direct contravention to evidence given to the Public Accounts Committee two years ago and I .feel that the House has been misled. May we have that matter brought to the Floor of the House?
§ Madam SpeakerThis is a matter for the Leader of the House and the Opposition through the usual channels. I am sure that hon. Members who came in at the last election are well aware of how the usual channels in the House operate. I advise the hon. Gentleman to raise the matter with the shadow Leader in the first place so that arrangements might be made with the Government for such business to take place.
§ Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley)Further to the point of order on column 583—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. There is no point of order. I need to carry out a thorough investigation into this matter before I can do anything about it.
§ Mr. George Foulkes (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You may recall that, some time ago, I asked you whether oral statements could be made following important meetings overseas so that Ministers would be directly accountable to the House. Last week, the world summit on social development was held in Copenhagen and a statement has been made by means of written answer No. 122 to the hon. Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Mr. Sweeney). It is a matter of great importance to this country and the third world. Will you take the opportunity to talk to Ministers to get those statements made orally to the House instead of being hidden away in written answers?
§ Madam SpeakerI dislike repeating myself and taking up the time of the House, but I shall do so and inform the hon. Gentleman and the House that, provided that an announcement is made to the House, it is up to the Minister making that announcement to determine whether it is done by written answer or oral statement. I have no authority in such matters.
§ Mr. Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I am not sure whether this matter has been drawn to your attention, but this morning there appeared to be some rather loud activity on the Thames, in close proximity to the Terrace wall. I have the honour and privilege to be chairing the Standing Committee that is considering the Finance Bill, and the proceedings of our Committee were inconvenienced. Indeed, Members raised points of order with me to say that they could not hear what was going on because of the activity of speedboats and, apparently, water-skiers, in close proximity to the Terrace wall. Not only because of the inconvenience to the Committee's sitting but because of the security of this place, I wonder whether you had been told about it, and if not whether you will investigate it.
§ Madam SpeakerI shall certainly investigate it. The hon. Gentleman knows where Speaker's House is. I had all the windows open on this beautiful morning, and I thought that it was a wonderful sight to see those speedboats on the Thames; in fact, I was rather envious. I thought that I should have been in one of them—but not on the skis. However, if the hon. Gentleman feels that it was damaging to the fabric of this building, I will examine the suggestion that they may have been too close to the wall.
§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)It was Tony Blair walking on water.
§ Madam SpeakerI thought that the hon. Member for Bolsover was the only one who could do that.