§ The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means took the Chair as Deputy Speaker, pursuant to the Standing Order.
§ [SYLVIA HEAL in the Chair]
9.33 am§ Mr. Greg Knight (East Yorkshire Con)On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. You probably saw the news late last night on the report by the National Audit Office, which shows that some clearly fraudulent and other meritless visa applications for people to enter Britain were approved on the instructions of the Home Office against the advice of officials. Have you received any indication that the Home Secretary will come here today to make a statement on that very serious matter? Perhaps more relevantly, have you heard whether the Home Secretary is about to make a personal statement, because many of us think that it is a resigning matter?
Madam Deputy SpeakerI am not aware that the Home Secretary or any other Minister has made a request to come before the House, but I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman's comments will have been noted.
§ Mr. Eric Forth (Bromley and Chislehurst) (Con)Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. You will know that we now have a procedure known as urgent questions, by which an application can be made to Mr. Speaker for a matter to be considered on a particular day. Will you confirm that were this matter to be submitted to Mr. Speaker on Monday, it could still legitimately be regarded as urgent because the Minister in question did not ask to come to the House today?
We often find ourselves in this odd position. Although there is no reason, as far as I know, why the urgent question procedure should not be used on a Friday—I wish it were used more often because this is, of course, a normal sitting day—surely it would still be appropriate for Mr. Speaker at least to consider an application for an urgent question even if a weekend intervenes and the matter was considered urgent today.
Madam Deputy SpeakerThat is entirely a matter for Mr. Speaker to consider when he receives—if he should—the application.