§ Mr. Douglas Hogg (Sleaford and North Hykeham)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Have you received an application from the Foreign Secretary to make a statement to the House on the allegations that the Foreign Office has been involved in a coup in Sierra Leone? The allegations are serious and the House needs to know what they are. Furthermore, it would be right for the House to express a view on the need for an independent element in the inquiry. This is the third or fourth time that a point of order has been made about the unwillingness of the Foreign Secretary to make statements to the House to account for his doings in office.
§ Madam SpeakerI was not informed today that the Foreign Office or any other Department wanted to make a statement on the issue raised by the right hon. and learned Gentleman. If there was to be a statement, it would have been on the Annunciator by lunchtime today.
§ Mr. Malcolm Savidge (Aberdeen, North)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. As I understood it, the Leader of the Opposition said from a sedentary position that he would have blocked Mr. Duisenberg's appointment. As that comment was referred to later, am I correct in thinking that it should be recorded in Hansard?
§ Madam SpeakerThese are matters for argument. Hansard knows perfectly well what it should record—the Editor does not need to be instructed by me.
§ Mr. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You were very generous—as was the Prime Minister—in allowing one hour and 10 minutes for the statement, but, as you are aware, a number of people were not called to ask questions. Can you do anything to encourage not only hon. Members to ask brief questions but the Prime Minister not to filibuster with such long, repetitive answers?
§ Madam SpeakerI do not accept the hon. Gentleman's premise that the Prime Minister filibusters. Answers—and, indeed, questions—are often long on complicated issues such as this. One thing that I do to help is to keep a list of all hon. Members who have stood up throughout. When a similar statement is made, or there is a debate on a similar issue, I always see to it that those hon. Members have priority.
As I am on my feet, let me give some information of which many hon. Members are probably not aware. It is not the custom of the House for the Speaker to keep the Prime Minister, from whichever political party, at the Dispatch Box for longer than an hour. I try to abide by that, but, as the House has observed, I kept the Prime Minister here longer today because of the importance of the statement. I am sorry that I could not call all hon. Members. As I said, I have a list and I know hon. Members' interests. I think that it can be said that I called hon. Members from both sides of the House with very differing views on this issue—they were carefully selected.