HC Deb 09 July 2003 vol 408 c1196 2.21 pm
Mr. Eric Forth (Bromley and Chislehurst)

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. You are well aware of the strict conventions surrounding Privy Council briefings. May I ask you and Mr. Speaker to look very carefully at today's Hansard in the context of the Prime Minister's apparently gratuitous revelation of what occurred during Privy Council briefings and perhaps report back to the House as to your conclusion about his behaviour? Furthermore, you will be aware of this provision in the ministerial code: it is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity. I presume that the Prime Minister's code applies to him too. If that is so, I ask you and Mr. Speaker, bearing in mind the provisions of the ministerial code, to provide the Prime Minister with an opportunity to come back to the House if it turns out that he has made any inadvertent error, so that he can come to the House to correct it at the earliest opportunity.

Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Michael Lord)

I certainly cannot give the right hon. Gentleman any such undertakings myself, and certainly not on behalf of Mr. Speaker, as he asks. Both Mr. Speaker and I read Hansard very carefully, however, and I am sure that we will note the points that he has made.

Mr. George Osborne (Tatton)

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Last Wednesday, 2 July, I asked the Prime Minister about the cases of Sally Clark and Trupti Patel and, as you will remember, about their implications for women who are accused of murdering their children. The cases have generated some interest. He was unable to give me a detailed response at the time, which I fully accept, and twice undertook to write to me. It is now more than a week since I asked the question and I have not received a letter from him—[Interruption.]

Mr. Deputy Speaker

Order. I think that I can deal with the hon. Gentleman's point of order on the basis of the facts that he has given me so far. It is not for the Chair to interfere in correspondence between hon. Members and the Prime Minister, but his points will be on the record.

Mr. Michael Jack (Fylde)

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Some months ago, Mr. Speaker gave a very helpful ruling to guide Departments and stated that this Chamber should be the first place where announcements are made. In the light of the very detailed information given on the statement that we have just heard from the Secretary of State for Transport, may I ask that such statements be re-examined in the light of Mr. Speaker's guidance? I would also include in that examination of the pre-releasing of information the announcement made earlier this week about the state of the national lottery. I thought that Mr. Speaker was entirely clear, but the message does not yet seem to have got through to the Government.

Mr. Deputy Speaker

Mr. Speaker feels extremely strongly about these matters and I know that he will have taken very serious note of whatever has occurred.