§ Mrs. Angela Browning (Tiverton and Honiton)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Today, hon. Members on both sides of the House received a three-page critique from the Communication Workers Union on the Post Office White Paper. Given that the document has yet to be presented to the House of Commons, could you use your good offices with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry—and not just to encourage him to bring the White Paper to the House very quickly? In the past fortnight, the Secretary of State has made four major announcements, none of them on the Floor of the House. The House would welcome an opportunity to hear from him at first hand, and to question him.
§ Madam SpeakerAs the House knows, I feel strongly that important Government decisions should be made known to the House before being communicated to anyone outside. On the basis of the papers that the hon. Lady has given me—I am grateful to her for letting me see them—I am by no means convinced that any such impropriety has occurred in this case. As for the hon. Lady's request for statements to be made from the Government Front Bench, it is for Ministers to inform me when they are ready to do so.
§ Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. As a now shy Scot, may I ask, in regard to a reserved matter, whether by any chance the Secretary of State for Health asked for an opportunity to answer question 36, on a United Kingdom matter—namely, the policy on retention of samples of smallpox? This is an urgent matter, in which the United Kingdom could play a major part. It would be a terrible thing, which we would rue greatly, if smallpox samples were destroyed without any being kept. Did you have any such request from the Secretary of State?
§ Madam SpeakerNo, certainly not. Question 36 would have been dealt with had we progressed more speedily. It is very difficult for us to reach question 36, but I have to say that I am very disappointed, not just today but every day, with the lack of progress that is made at Question Time. I should like us to make better progress. I doubt that we could have reached that question, but we might have made a better stab at it if we had made better progress.