§ Harry Cohen (Leyton and Wanstead)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. You are the upholder of Back Benchers' rights and you will know that there was a promise last Thursday of an early statement about the Prime Minister's visit to the United States and the United Nations. At Question Time today, the Prime Minister said that he would make one statement before the Easter recess begins on 14 April. That is clearly inappropriate. Prime Minister's Question Time is not a proper venue for the majority of Back Benchers to be able to question the Prime Minister about the war. For example, today, it took until 12.18 to get past Question 2, and then, of course, the Prime Minister had to run through the other eight questions. Most of the questions from the Leader of the Opposition were not oppositional at all, and there was no chance to ask the difficult questions that many Back Benchers want to ask. I, for example, want to ask the Prime Minister a question about British troops being executed, because there has been no opportunity to get clarification about that.
Mr. Speaker, do you not think it reasonable that Back Benchers should have the opportunity to get clarification on issues such as that? Do you not think it reasonable at a time of war that the Prime Minister should make more than just one statement in a fortnight? Do you not think it reasonable that he should fulfil the promise given by his acting Leader of the House? As the defender of Back Benchers' rights, what are you going to do about that?
§ Mr. SpeakerIt seems to me that the hon. Gentleman is advancing an argument rather than raising a point of order, but I agree with him about one thing. He is correct: I am the defender of Back Benchers' rights, and I can say, modest as I am, that I do a very good job in defending them. I will continue to bear it in mind that whenever a statement is made on these matters I should look to the hon. Gentleman and see what I can do for him.
§ Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Will you look into the possibility of allocating one of our parliamentary television channels to one of the Arab channels, such as al-Jazeera? We have 24 television channels, three of which are devoted to sport. I think it important during a war to see what the Arabs are viewing—what images they are receiving from the Arab channels. It would be much appreciated if, in the interests of informing Members more fully, one of our channels was given to al-Jazeera.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Lady may realise that other people besides me are involved when it comes to the parliamentary channels. I understand that the House of 924 Lords is entitled to a view on this, and the Information Committee might also have to look into it. I think that the best thing the hon. Lady can do is write to me giving all the reasons why she thinks this should happen.
§ Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In my view you are indeed a superb upholder of Back Benchers' rights, especially in the difficulties of wartime. If I may say so without slurring the dead, you are far better than George Thomas.
I do not know, Mr. Speaker, whether you have had an opportunity to read the minutes of the Procedure Committee on Prime Minister's questions. One of the problems that arises is the difficulty of challenging prime ministerial assertions. Today was a case in point. The Prime Minister asserted that Kerbala had been destroyed by Saddam's forces. I can only say that when was in Kerbala in 1994, the imam of the great mosque of the Shia explained in detail that in fact a stray bomb had caused the damage that we saw being repaired, lovingly and with great skill, by local people on wooden scaffolding.
It is very difficult to establish the sources of prime ministerial assertions. I hope that when the Procedure Committee's report is published some attention will be given to the subject.
§ Mr. SpeakerFurther to the same point of order?
§ Ann ClwydYes, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday Dr. Hamid al-Bayati, who represents the Shia population in London, came to the House to speak to us. In his speech he said that various sites in areas mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) had been destroyed previously by the Iraqi regime. I certainly did not understand from what the Prime Minister said that those sites had been destroyed recently by the coalition forces. I think that I am more prepared to listen to the authentic voice of a Shia representative in this country.
§ Mr. SpeakerI think that I am beginning to hear arguments rather than points of order.
Let me say this to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell). I understand that the Procedure Committee is looking into the matters that he raised. It is looking into several matters concerning the House, including Question Time. I look forward to the publication of its report, which I shall read with interest.
§ Harry CohenOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I want to put it on record that I endorse the view that you are an excellent defender of Back Benchers' rights. I do not want my earlier comments to imply the opposite.
§ Mr. SpeakerIt is too late. [Laughter.]