Points of Order (Hansard, 21 April 1998)

§ Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. It will have been within your hearing that, in his answer to my supplementary question to Question 3 during Scottish questions, the Minister of State referred to the Crown Office rather in terms of a separate entity which had not much to do with him or his Scottish Office ministerial colleagues. In a sense he is right, because the Crown Office is a different entity, but does it not raise yet again the unsatisfactory position?
If Members of Parliament think that the Crown Office has been lazy, as it may or may not have been in relation to Lockerbie and Mr. Mesbahi, there is no way in which we in the House of Commons can challenge the Minister responsible in order to get to the truth or otherwise of what we are suggesting. Even come a Scottish Parliament, the same problem will arise with the establishment of this Advocate General person. Is it not an on-going problem that should have your attention?

§ Madam Speaker
That is not a point of order at all. I fear that the hon. Gentleman is seeking to prolong questions or, more pertinently, discussions on the Scotland Bill, which are not a matter for me at this stage.

§ Mrs. Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham)
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You will know of the great concern around the country about the state of readiness of Government Departments and agencies for the year 2000 computer problem. I am sure that, like me, you will have welcomed the clear and honest statement by the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, the hon. Member for Strathkelvin and Bearsden (Mr. Galbraith), that he will personally guarantee the emergency services in Scotland, and guarantee that not a single life will be put in jeopardy by the failure of the emergency services to be millennium compliant. We now have not only a Minister clearly identified—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. I fear that I am not going to go on listening to long statements by Back Benchers which are not points of order.

§ Mrs. Gillan
rose—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. Points of order must relate to matters that concern me, and that one certainly does not.