§
Motion made, and Question put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business),
That, at this day's sitting, the Registration of Political Parties Bill may be proceeded with, though opposed, until any hour.—[Mr. Dowd.]
§ Question agreed to.
§ 10.2 pm
§ Mr. Ian Bruce (South Dorset)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Before we come to the important business of the Registration of Political Parties Bill, I seek your guidance on how I should proceed.
Yesterday, I raised a point of order with Madam Speaker regarding the answering of parliamentary questions, particularly in relation to questions that I had put to Ministers about how they were dealing with Members' correspondence. I hope that all hon. Members are interested in ensuring that we receive prompt replies from Ministers.
I tabled a series of questions some months ago, and received answers from all the different Departments. Yesterday, after giving Ministers a week to say how quickly they were responding to Members' letters—we had a good response from the Department of Trade and Industry—most Ministers said that they were delaying answering. Some of those questions were referred to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and he has given us what he describes as a substantive reply, which is that he will publish the figures shortly.
My point of order to you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is that questions tabled by Members are usually answered on the record and printed in Hansard. If questions are answered by way of some sort of published list, which will be given out by a Minister on behalf of all his colleagues, that will not be published in Hansard, and the public and hon. Members will not know what Ministers are doing in terms of responding to letters.
293 I seek your guidance, Mr. Deputy Speaker, about how we can get on the record perfectly proper requirements to find out what Ministers are supposed to be doing in this place, so that we do not find yet again that information is published in newspapers or in documents in the Library, but not in Hansard.
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Michael Lord)I understand the hon. Gentleman's concern about this matter, but I am sure that the points that he has made will have been heard by those on the Government Front Bench this evening.