HC Deb 11 March 2002 vol 381 c637 3.32 pm
Mr. Bob Blizzard (Waveney)

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I ask you to examine the circumstances surrounding the tabling of early-day motion 949 entitled, "Introduction of progressive beer duty" tabled last Wednesday by the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker)? I ask you to do so, Mr. Speaker, because the early-day motion printed on the Order Paper the following day contains the names, including my own, of several hon. Members who did not sign it. Inquiries at the Table Office revealed that the names were submitted-clearly without permission of some hon. Members, who are seriously concerned that a breach of procedure may have occurred.

Norman Baker (Lewes)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker

Order. Let me deal with the first point of order, and the hon. Gentleman can decide whether a further point of order is necessary. I assure the hon. Member for Waveney (Mr. Blizzard) that I will look into this matter.

Norman Baker

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. The hon. Member for Waveney (Mr. Blizzard) had not contacted me to inform me that he was going to raise that point of order, so it is fortunate that I am present to clear it up. Every Member whose name appears on the early-day motion had signed an earlier motion. I contacted—

Mr. Speaker

Order. Rather than the hon. Gentleman clearing up the matter now, I shall look into it further. That is the best course of action.

Simon Hughes (Southwark, North and Bermondsey)

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. This arises from Home Office Questions, so I am sorry that the Minister for Police, Courts and Drugs has just left the Chamber. May I ask that the Minister correct, when next he can, a possibly unwitting misrepresentation of our party's drugs policy? We debated drugs policy at the weekend and we decided on reform proposals. However, we absolutely did not decide to legalise any drug-international conventions preclude it-and we specifically did not recommend the legalisation of heroin, which we oppose.

Mr. Speaker

I am sure that the Home Secretary will read what the hon. Gentleman had to say in tomorrow's Hansard.