§ Mr. Norman Baker (Lewes)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I apologise for rising again. In Defence questions earlier this afternoon, I asked the Minister for the Armed Forces a specific question about a report called "Assessing the Technologies of Political Control", and his answer was that he was unaware of that report. On 26 January 1998, the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) asked whether a statement could be made on exactly that report and its application to RAF Menwith Hill. The Minister said:
I am aware of the report referred to by my hon. Friend".—[Official Report, 26 January 1998; Vol. 305, c. 33.]Will the Minister now withdraw the comment that he was unaware of the report and arrange to give me a substantive answer?
§ The Minister for the Armed Forces (Dr. John Reid)Further to that point of order, Madam Speaker. I will stand corrected, but, if the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) checks Hansard, he will find that my reply was that I would not verify a quotation from a report that I had not read—[Interruption.] We shall check Hansard. I am sure that I said, "that I have not read". [Interruption.] No: today's Hansard, which the hon. Gentleman might not know has not yet been prepared, but we can read it tomorrow. I am not in the habit of verifying quotations extracted from a document that I do not have in front of me and have not read.
§ Madam SpeakerI remind hon. Members that there are occasions when a Member does not necessarily approve of an answer that has been given by a Minister. That is not a point of order. If the answer is not approved of by the Member, of course, there is always the Order Paper to explore the question further. I am not responsible for the quality of answers that are given by Ministers.