§ Mr. Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale, West)On a point of order of which I have given you prior notice, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask a question on the theme of freedom of information and openness on the part of the Government, bearing in mind the gross discrepancy between a written answer that I received on 10 April from the Department for Education and Skills and the answer that I was given orally this morning by the Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills, the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Twigg). On 10 April, having asked the Government to set out how many teachers in maintained schools have been the victim of serious assaults by pupils or parents, I received this reply from the then Minister for School Standards, the hon. Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms):
My Department does not collect this information."—[Official Report, 10 April 2002; Vol. 382, c. 195W.]This morning, the Minister was able to give those figures, which he said were collected not by his Department but by the Health and Safety Executive. Can you give any guidance to Ministers about the importance of giving full and open responses to written questions, rather than being deliberately evasive and trying to hide the truth that we are trying to reveal in doing our duties in opposition?
§ Mr. SpeakerAll I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that Ministers are expected to give full and open answers.
§ Mr. Eric Forth (Bromley and Chislehurst)But they don't.
§ Mr. SpeakerMinisters are expected to do so.
§ Michael Fabricant (Lichfield)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Today, for the first time in my experience, an hon. Member spoke in the Chamber without a tie. That may or not be the new standard. I know that from time to time you deal with the Chief Whips of the various parties, and it might be helpful if the dress code were made clear, especially to hon. Gentlemen, who have less ability to vary their clothing than hon. Ladies. If there is a change in dress code, that is fine by me. I will come in in my chinos and open-neck shirt—or maybe I will not. Either way, I should like to know what is expected of us. I have always thought that we had to wear a jacket and tie, at least.
§ Mr. SpeakerSince the hon. Gentleman asks, my feeling would be that jackets and ties are best for hon. Gentlemen.
§ David Burnside (South Antrim)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. On 22 May I raised a point of order about the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland not having answered my question on defining the status of the IRA ceasefire. Following your good offices, he immediately replied to me. In his reply, he said:
We are reviewing our procedures to ensure that we avoid such omissions in the future".I welcomed that—and thank you for your help on the matter, Mr. Speaker.411 On 2 June 2002, I tabled another question to the Secretary of State:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will consult (a) the Northern Ireland Fireworks Association and (b) other interested parties"—which he has a statutory obligation to do—about the Explosives (Fireworks) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002. In Northern Ireland, that is a matter of security importance, as well as being important in terms of the regulation and safe use of fireworks. I have received no answer from the Secretary of State. Could you give me some guidance, Mr. Speaker, as to how I should take the matter further? If the Northern Ireland Office's performance in refusing to answer or avoiding questions continues, we might as well have a recess all year round.
§ Mr. SpeakerI would advise the hon. Gentleman to seek advice from the Table Office.
§ Mr. Bill Wiggin (Leominster)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. My question concerns my constituent Mr. Phillips. I have already delivered to your office a catalogue and diary of the relevant events. My constituent's sheep were culled in a contiguous cull and his farm was sprayed with FAM30—a biocide, which happened to kill his worms, into which he had diversified. Because of that, perhaps the Ministry is taking his case lightly, although he is claiming £50,000 in compensation.
I have written to the Minister on countless occasions. I have received acknowledgements of my letters, but I have not received a reply to the kernel of the problem: Mr. Phillips's compensation claim. Indeed, I wrote again on 17 January, and finally on 24 January, my letter was acknowledged and a full reply promised. On 7 March, I tabled a written question to ask when that full reply might be forthcoming.
Finally, at the end of June, I received a reply, saying that, because my constituent had gone to a solicitor as he had received no reply, the Minister felt that the case was sub judice. I cannot think of anything else that I can do to encourage the Ministry to reply to my letters, and I wondered whether you, Mr. Speaker, might have any pearl of wisdom that you might wish to cast before us.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am concerned that the hon. Gentleman has not received a reply. Of course he has put the matter on the record, but he could apply for an Adjournment debate—perhaps that would bring the Minister to the Floor of the House.
§ Dr. Julian Lewis (New Forest, East)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. The whole House was very concerned 412 about the inadequate sentence in the rape case that my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) raised in questioning the Solicitor-General. In her reply, the Solicitor-General explained that there were two possible courses of action: to extend the period of time in which application could be made to review the inadequate sentence, or to publicise the existing period of time. I do not know whether you noticed, Mr. Speaker, but in her answer the right hon. and learned Lady said that she inclined towards the former. However, she then went on to explain at length why she was recommending the latter. That was extremely confusing to the House on a matter of considerable concern, and I wonder whether the record can be clarified in any way.
§ Mr. SpeakerIt could well have been a slip of the tongue by the Solicitor-General. I think that that was the case.
§ Mr. Andrew Robathan (Blaby)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You will correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that the parliamentary ombudsman is a servant of the House and is appointed by the House of Commons Commission. He certainly owes his allegiance to the Houses of Parliament. In the autumn, he placed a report in the Library because he could get no response from the Government. He has still received no response. Can you or the House of Commons Commission give him any advice on how he could get a response when he is carrying out his duties on behalf of the Houses of Parliament?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe ombudsman is an Officer of the House, but he is not appointed by the House of Commons Commission. The hon. Gentleman must keep pursuing the matter. If he feels disappointed by any reply regarding that matter that he has received today or from any Minister, he must keep pursuing it.