HL Deb 09 May 1985 vol 463 cc736-7

3.6 p.m.

Lord Rochester

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask the Leader of the House whether he agrees that there is a need to clarify the procedure under which Lords ask questions and make comments in response to ministerial Statements.

The Lord President of the Council (Viscount Whitelaw)

My Lords, the practice of the House on this matter is set out on page 73 of the Companion to the Standing Orders, which states: brief comments and questions for clarification are allowed but that Statements: should not be made the occasion for an immediate debate".

Lord Rochester

My Lords, will the noble Viscount accept that my Question was prompted by exchanges that took place following a recent ministerial Statement in which I was involved, the outcome of which was that the correct procedure to be followed on such occasions was not recorded in Hansard? I am grateful therefore to the noble Viscount for having put that matter right in his Answer. However, will he agree that in response to ministerial Statements it would be helpful if we all—and I am not particularly proud of my own performance in this respect—sought to exercise the same self-restraint as the House recently accepted should be exercised in asking questions which are supplementary to Starred Questions?

Viscount Whitelaw

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, and I appreciate what he says. He is probably quite right—but of course it is a matter for the House—that your Lordships would welcome it if noble Lords paid more attention to the guidance of the Companion that, "comments and questions" should be brief. I am the first to recognise that because I probably repeat as many Statements as anybody else in this House and I am about to repeat another one in the not very distant future. I reckon that my strictures apply to myself just as much as they do throughout the House.

Lord Jenkins of Putney

My Lords, would it not be helpful if Ministers were encouraged to break new ground by actually answering questions?

Viscount Whitelaw

My Lords, I appreciate that the noble Lord thinks that I am deficient in many ways, and no doubt I am. However, I try to answer questions which are properly put and if sometimes I give the noble Lord a glancing blow, I know that he expects it!

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

My Lords, I think that there is an element of confusion as to the extent to which questions for clarification may be asked by Back-Bench Peers after the leading speakers of the various parties have spoken. It might be worthwhile if the Procedure Committee looked at this matter when it meets on 11th June.

Viscount Whitelaw

My Lords, to answer the noble Lord, who has considerable responsibility and experience, I think that it is fair to say that at present the Companion to the Standing Orders makes no distinction between Front-Benchers and Back-Benchers, although I suppose in practice greater latitude, for better of worse, is allowed to the Front Bench speakers. I am not sure that it should go too far, but it apparently does so. However, if the noble Lord thinks that discussion on the matter would be useful, then I am sure that it could be very easily arranged.