§ 4.6 pm
§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Tony Newton)Madam Speaker, I should like to make a short business statement. The business for this week will be as follows:
MONDAY 14 OCTOBER AND TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER— Debate on a Government motion to approve the Defence Estimates 1996 (Cm 3223).
At the end on Tuesday—motion on the Asylum (Designated Countries of Destination and Designated Safe Third Countries) Order.
Motion to suspend further proceedings on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill until the next Session of Parliament.
WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER—Until 2.30 pm, there will be debates on the motion for the Adjournment of the House.
Debate on a motion to take note of the outstanding reports of the Public Accounts Committee to which the Government have replied. Details will be given in the Official Report.
The House will also wish to now that on Tuesday 15 October, there will be a debate on the Merger Regulation in European Standing Committee B.
Details of the relevant documents will be given in the Official Report.
The House will meet for prorogation at 9.30 am on Thursday 17 October and the new Session will be opened on Wednesday 23 October.
§ Tuesday 15 October: European Standing Committee B—Relevant European Community Document: No. 9961/96, The Merger Regulation. Relevant European Legislation Committee Report: HC 51-xxvi (1995–96).
§ Wednesday 16 October: Debate on a motion to take note of the outstanding reports of the Public Accounts Committee to which the Government have replied. The relevant reports are as follows:
| Number | Report Title | HC Number | Date of publication |
| Reports Session 1994–95 | |||
| 41 | MOD: Management of the Capital Works Programme | 454 | 22 November |
| 42 | NHS: Outpatient Services in England and Wales | 448 | 23 November |
| 43 | Medical Research Council: Sale of the Mount Vernon Site, Hampstead | 502 | 29 November |
| 44 | MOD: Major Projects Report 1994 | 487 | 30 November |
| 45 | Sale of County Hall (Riverside Building) to Shirayama Shokusan Company Ltd | 408 | 6 December |
| 46 | MOD: The Risks of Fraud in Defence Procurement | 365 | 7 December |
| 47 | London Docklands Development Corporation: The Limehouse Link | 574 | 13 December |
| 1 | |||
| Number | Report Title | HC Number | Date of publication |
| Reports Session 1995ߝ96 | |||
| 1 | Department of Social Security: Appropriation Accounts 1993ߝ94: Child Support Agency | 31 | 20 December |
| 2 | Health Care International (Scotland) Ltd | 32 | 21 December |
| 3 | Health and Personal Social Services in Northern Ireland (Transport Services) | 55 | 17 January |
| 4 | Community Economic Regeneration Scheme and Community Regeneration and Improvement Special Programme | 56 | 18 January |
| 5 | Financial Controls in Training and Enterprise Councils | 108 | 24 January |
| 6 | A Review of the Controls-Over Indirectly Funded Operations of the Metropolitan Police Service | 109 | 25 January |
| 7 | The Meteorological Office Executive Agency: Evaluation of Performance | 216 | 28 February |
| 8 | Department of Social Security and Benefits Agency: Purchase of Postal and Courier Services | 232 | 29 February |
| 9 | Protecting and Presenting Scotland's Heritage properties | 233 | 6 March |
| 10 | The Annual Report of the European Court of Auditors and the Statement of Assurance | 250 | 13 March |
| 11 | Selective Financial Assistance for Tourism in Northern Ireland | 266 | 14 March |
| 12 | Selective Financial Assistance for Tourism in Northern Ireland | 267 | 20 March |
| 13 | The Operations of the Student Loans Company Ltd | 110 | 21 March |
| 14 | Excess Votes 1994ߝ95 | 285 | 27 March |
| 15 | Financial Viability of the Teachers' Superannuation Scheme (England and Wales) | 158 | 15 May |
| 16 | Metropolitan Police Service: Responding to Calls from the Public | 33 | 16 May |
| 1 | |||
| Number | Report Title | HC Number | Date of publication |
| 35 | HM Customs and Excise: Account Matters | 29 | 19 August |
| 36 | Vehicle Excise Duty: Evasion and Enforcement | 375 | 1 August |
| 37 | Home Office Support for Voluntary Organisations | 376 | 7 August |
| 38 | Lord Chancellor's Department and the Court Service: Handling Small Claims in the County Courts | 410 | 26 July |
| 39 | NAO Estimates 1996ߝ97 | 176 | 14 August |
| 40 | N1AO Estimates 1996ߝ97 | 177 | 14 August |
| 41 | Evaluating the Applications to run the National Lottery and the Director General's Travel and Hospitality-Arrangements | 96 | 31 July] |
§ Mr. Tom Cox (Tooting)In view of that statement, will the Leader of the House say whether there is to be a statement from someone at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office about the brutal murder in Cyprus at the weekend of an unarmed Greek Cypriot, which followed two equally brutal murders—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman has been a Member of the House long enough to know that the business statement is narrow and deals with only two matters. The Leader of the House is responsible only for the short statement that he has made and the debate cannot be widened. We shall now move on to the defence estimates.
§ Mr. Peter Hain (Neath)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Have you had notice from the Government of a statement on the death last Thursday of two Neath council workers who were poisoned in a local sewer? More than 100 people were so badly affected that they had to be admitted to hospital. Surely, there should be a public inquiry into the incident—it is a serious matter when lethal substances are illegally dumped in a sewer. If it can happen in Neath, it could happen throughout Wales or, indeed, Britain. Something must be done about it.
§ Madam SpeakerI have not been informed that any Minister is seeking to make a statement on that matter.