§ Mr. Eric Forth (Bromley and Chislehurst)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. All hon. Members have received a letter this morning which sought to be helpful with regard to the election of a new Speaker on 23 October. The letter was helpful as far as it went. May I make a final plea that you, your colleagues and Madam Speaker to think again about whether the House may not, even at this late hour, be given guidance on the sequence of events and the basis on which that sequence will be decided?
I ask that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, because you will appreciate, as will all right hon. and hon. Members, that a knowledge by the electorate—namely, the Members of this House—of the sequence in which votes are likely to be held could have a crucial bearing not only on the candidatures but on Members' dispositions during the voting. If we do not have that knowledge, there is a great risk that the House will do itself a disservice by voting blindly without knowing the basis on which the sequence of events will be determined. May I make a plea that now, or certainly before 23 October, Members are given a great deal more information than they have been given today?
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerThe right hon. Gentleman will realise that I can add nothing to what has already been said in the statement, but I am sure that the authorities of the House have heard what he had to say.
§ Mr. Crispin Blunt (Reigate)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The scenes that we saw when the Prime Minister was not answering questions on his statement were a disgrace to the House. Is it in order for a Minister to come to the House, have the privilege of making a statement and fail to answer the questions put to him?
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerAll that I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that he is entitled to his opinion.
§ Mr. Clive Efford (Eltham)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Can you advise me? Is it in order for the Leader of the Opposition to rely on items retrieved from rubbish bins in order to have anything to say from the Dispatch Box? Does it not degrade the House that Opposition Members have to rely on such tactics in order to have anything to say? Does it not confirm something that Labour Members have known for some time—that Conservative Members talk rubbish and—
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. I have to stop the hon. Gentleman. He is not raising a point of order.
§ Miss Julie Kirkbride (Bromsgrove)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. We were all heartened by Madam Speaker's statement about the historic rights of the House to cross-examine the Executive. Yet we had the spectacle today of the Prime Minister coming to the House to make an important statement and being cross-examined by my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) with specific questions, 1277 which the Prime Minister did not have the courtesy to answer. How are we to enforce our rights if the Prime Minister will not answer our questions?
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. The hon. Lady is expressing an opinion. Those matters are nothing to do with the Chair.