§ Mr. Ted Rowlands (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I apologise for bothering you, but may I seek your advice on the position of Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland Members which arises from an interesting memorandum submitted by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House, entitled "Procedural Consequences of Devolution"? Paragraph 5 states:
To assist the House to become more familiar with matters which will no longer be the responsibility of the relevant Secretaries of State, it is proposed that from the start of the 1998–99 Session Ministers will, where practical, indicate in their answers to questions and in debate when they are dealing with subjects they will not be responsible for after devolution.I make no complaint, but I understand that this advice was not followed in Scottish questions yesterday or in Welsh questions today. I wondered whether, through you, Madam Speaker, we might find a way forward. I think that many Members who will be affected by these issues would like the recommendation to be acted on. I wondered whether, through you, I might find a means of encouraging Ministers to follow my right hon. Friend's recommendation.
§ Madam SpeakerI think that the point of order will be noted by those on the Treasury Bench, which will perhaps go some way to helping the hon. Gentleman with his query. I am sure he knows that it is entirely a matter for Ministers how they answer questions. Responses to questions have nothing to do with me. He might consider tabling a question to the President of the Council on this matter. At least that would draw the matter to the attention of the Leader of the House and the whole House, so that Members can read the document for themselves.