Points of Order (Hansard, 13 December 2001)

§ Mr. Andrew Dismore (Hendon)
On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Have you received a request for a statement in the House on the consequences of today's judgment in the other place that convicted Dame Shirley Porter, former Conservative leader of Westminster city council, of political corruption arising out of her role in the Westminster homes for votes—

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Michael Lord)
Order. I have heard enough already to tell the hon. Gentleman that that is not a matter for the Chair.

§ Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham)
On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. You may be aware that the Adoption and Children Bill is in Committee and that next Tuesday the Committee will discuss the most contentious provisions of the Bill on access to information. It transpires that after the Committee rose this afternoon a copy of a letter to the Chairman saying that the Government had done a complete U-turn on those clauses was released to members. However, I gather that Labour members of the Committee had access to the letter earlier during the Committee sitting this afternoon.
Is it not a gross discourtesy that the information was not made available to all members of the Committee, given that today is the last date for tabling further amendments, and that those who have tabled amendments, including my hon. Friends and me, were not personally told about the radical changes to the Bill that will be discussed on Tuesday? Would you care to investigate that, because a discourtesy has been done to Conservative and other Opposition Members who sit on that Committee?

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
I have no knowledge of the matters that the hon. Gentleman has raised. He has made his point and put his thoughts on the record. No doubt the people responsible for those matters will read it and take note.

§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)
Further to the point of order raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore), Mr. Deputy Speaker. In view of your earlier ruling and in view of the fact that the so-called party of law and order, as the Conservatives used to call themselves, has not raised the matter, if we have a situation in which somebody owes £27 million, this House should do something about it—

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
Order. That is a matter for the courts, not for this House.

§ Mr. Skinner
rose—

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
Order. I have already dealt with that point of order and I do not intend to return to it.

§ Mr. Skinner
It is about free speech.

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
Order. I have dealt with that point of order and I do not intend to return to it.

§ Peter Bradley (The Wrekin)
On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
Does it relate to the same of point of order?

§ Peter Bradley
Well—[Interruption.]

Hon. Members
Yes, it does.

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
Order. I must tell the hon. Gentleman two things. First, when I am on my feet, the hon. Gentleman must resume his seat, and secondly, I have no intention of returning to that point of order.