§ 6. Standing Order 15(1) (Exempted business) shall apply to proceedings on the Bill at the sitting this day; and the proceedings shall not be interrupted under any Standing Order relating to the sittings of the House.
§ 7. The proceedings on any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown for varying or supplementing the provisions of this order shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion one hour after commencement; and the Standing Order No. 15(1) shall apply to those proceedings.
§ 8. Standing Order No. 82 (Business Committee) shall not apply in relation to proceedings on the Bill.
§ 9. No Motion shall be made to alter the order in which any proceedings on the Bill are taken.
§ 10. No dilatory Motion shall be made in relation to the Bill except by a Minister of the Crown.
§ 11. If at the sitting this day a Motion for the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 24 stands over to seven o'clock and proceedings on this Motion have begun before that time, the Motion for the Adjournment shall stand over until the conclusion of proceedings on the Bill.
§ 12. If the House is adjourned at the sitting this day, or the sitting is suspended, before the conclusion of proceedings on the Bill, no notice shall be required, of a Motion made at the next sitting by a Minister of the Crown for varying or supplementing the provisions of this Order.
§ Mr. John Gummer (Suffolk, Coastal)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Today I have received a written answer from the Secretary of State for Health, who says that he will announce his decision on the closure of a hospital in my constituency "shortly". It turns out that he announced it today and has embargoed the announcement so that he can be photographed in the local newspaper tomorrow with the neighbouring Labour Member of Parliament, who does not have the hospital in his constituency. That seems to me to be an abuse of the House. The decision should have been announced to me 951 as the local Member of Parliament. The Secretary of State refused to see me, the person in whose constituency the hospital is, but saw the hon. Member for Ipswich (Mr. Cann), who happens to be a member of his party. In 16 years as a Minister, I never did anything of that sort to a member of the Opposition.
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Michael J. Martin)Order. I am sorry about the right hon. Gentleman's difficulties, but that is not a matter for me. The right hon. Gentleman has been in the House for a long time; he will know how to proceed.