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Sir Peter Emery : What I would always suggest, whether on the moving of writs or otherwise, is that, if hon. Members cannot get their way they should persuade the Government to do something to support them. When the Warnock legislation comes through, I hope that that will be an opportunity to do what is wanted by a number of my hon. Friends

Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Will my hon. Friend give way?

Sir Peter Emery : No, I shall not give way to my hon. Friend. He has intervened many times.

Mr. Bennett : No, I have not.

Sir Peter Emery : My hon. Friend has made many interventions today.

Mr. Bennett Order On a point of order

Mr. Speaker : That may be a point of frustration, but I doubt whether it is a point of order.

Sir Peter Emery : My hon. Friend has not intervened during my speech, but he has intervened many times today.

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Column 657

Mr. Flannery : He is a congenital intervener.

Sir Peter Emery : I must defend my hon. Friend. There is nothing congenital about him.

Mr. Speaker : Order. Carry on.

Sir Peter Emery : Nobody can take credit for today's procedures. I am sorry that the Government did not make it clear--then we would not necessarily have had to have the writ--that they would take head-on the private Members' motions which were trying to extend a benefit for a private Member in a particular case. If that had been done, I believe that none of this would have happened and we would have had a full debate on the motion. I warn the Government that, unless they take it head-on some time, we will have this recurring time and time again. That must be a nonsense in the overall concept of procedure. I and my Procedure Committee wish to defend the rights of the six Members who came at the top of the ballot to try to get their legislation through. We wish to defend the rights of those who have private Members' motions to have those motions debated and decisions taken on them. If we can achieve that from today's fiasco, something good will have come out of it. I only hope that we can do it quickly and we do not have more illustrations of nonsense in this House before we get some sense.

Mr. Leigh : I beg to move, That the Question be now put.

Mr. Banks : On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker : No, I shall not take a point of order. I shall take the closure motion. I ask the House to listen carefully to the Question. The Question is, That the Question, That the Question be not now put, be now put.

The House proceeded to a Division.

Mr. Tony Banks (seated and covered) : On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I am in possession of a new writ for the constituency of Pontypridd. As it does not look as though I will have the opportunity of moving this writ, I ask you, Mr. Speaker, whether I will be able to move this writ at another time. Is the period during which I can present it to the House closed or can I come in with it some time during next week, without notice, and move it?

Mr. Speaker : I am sorry to disappoint the hon. Gentleman, but he cannot do that. That writ was issued for today.

The House having divided : Ayes 207, Noes 17.

Division No. 41] [2.12 pm

AYES

Abbott, Ms Diane

Alton, David

Amess, David

Amos, Alan

Archer, Rt Hon Peter

Armstrong, Hilary

Arnold, Jacques (Gravesham)

Ashdown, Rt Hon Paddy

Barnes, Harry (Derbyshire NE)

Barron, Kevin

Beith, A. J.

Benyon, W.

Bermingham, Gerald

Bidwell, Sydney

Blair, Tony

Blaker, Rt Hon Sir Peter

Boateng, Paul

Body, Sir Richard

Boscawen, Hon Robert

Bottomley, Peter

Boyson, Rt Hon Dr Sir Rhodes

Braine, Rt Hon Sir Bernard

Brazier, Julian

Bright, Graham

Brown, Gordon (D'mline E)

Brown, Michael (Brigg & Cl't's)

Buckley, George J.

Burns, Simon

Burt, Alistair

Butler, Chris

Callaghan, Jim

Canavan, Dennis

Carrington, Matthew

Cash, William

Chapman, Sydney

Clark, Hon Alan (Plym'th S'n)

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Column 658

Clark, Dr David (S Shields)

Clark, Sir W. (Croydon S)

Clay, Bob

Clelland, David

Clwyd, Mrs Ann

Coombs, Simon (Swindon)

Corbyn, Jeremy

Couchman, James

Cousins, Jim

Cox, Tom

Dalyell, Tam

Darling, Alistair

Davies, Rt Hon Denzil (Llanelli)

Davies, Ron (Caerphilly)

Day, Stephen

Devlin, Tim

Dixon, Don

Dobson, Frank

Doran, Frank

Dorrell, Stephen

Dunwoody, Hon Mrs Gwyneth

Durant, Tony

Dykes, Hugh

Eastham, Ken

Emery, Sir Peter

Fatchett, Derek

Fearn, Ronald

Fenner, Dame Peggy

Fields, Terry (L'pool B G'n)

Fisher, Mark

Flannery, Martin

Foot, Rt Hon Michael

Forman, Nigel

Foster, Derek

Fox, Sir Marcus

Freeman, Roger

French, Douglas

Fyfe, Maria

Garel-Jones, Tristan

Garrett, John (Norwich South)

George, Bruce

Gilbert, Rt Hon Dr John

Golding, Mrs Llin

Goodhart, Sir Philip

Goodson-Wickes, Dr Charles

Gordon, Mildred

Gorman, Mrs Teresa

Gould, Bryan

Grant, Bernie (Tottenham)

Greenway, Harry (Ealing N)

Griffiths, Win (Bridgend)

Ground, Patrick

Gummer, Rt Hon John Selwyn

Hanley, Jeremy

Hargreaves, A. (B'ham H'll Gr')

Hargreaves, Ken (Hyndburn)

Harman, Ms Harriet

Haselhurst, Alan

Hayes, Jerry

Hayhoe, Rt Hon Sir Barney

Haynes, Frank

Heathcoat-Amory, David

Heffer, Eric S.

Henderson, Doug

Hinchliffe, David

Hind, Kenneth

Holland, Stuart

Holt, Richard

Howarth, Alan (Strat'd-on-A)

Hughes, John (Coventry NE)

Hughes, Robert G. (Harrow W)

Hunt, David (Wirral W)

Irving, Charles

Jack, Michael

Janman, Tim

Janner, Greville

Jessel, Toby

Johnson Smith, Sir Geoffrey

Kellett-Bowman, Dame Elaine

Lawrence, Ivan

Leadbitter, Ted

Lennox-Boyd, Hon Mark

Lestor, Joan (Eccles)

Lightbown, David

Lilley, Peter

Litherland, Robert

Lloyd, Peter (Fareham)

McAllion, John

McAvoy, Thomas

McCrea, Rev William

MacKay, Andrew (E Berkshire)

McKelvey, William

Maclean, David

Mahon, Mrs Alice

Major, Rt Hon John

Malins, Humfrey

Mans, Keith

Maples, John

Marlow, Tony

Mawhinney, Dr Brian

Mayhew, Rt Hon Sir Patrick

Meacher, Michael

Mills, Iain

Moate, Roger

Moore, Rt Hon John

Morgan, Rhodri

Mowlam, Marjorie

Oakes, Rt Hon Gordon

Onslow, Rt Hon Cranley

Orme, Rt Hon Stanley

Paisley, Rev Ian

Patnick, Irvine

Patten, John (Oxford W)

Pawsey, James

Pike, Peter L.

Primarolo, Dawn

Quin, Ms Joyce

Redmond, Martin

Rees, Rt Hon Merlyn

Reid, Dr John

Rhodes James, Robert

Richardson, Jo

Robinson, Peter (Belfast E)

Rossi, Sir Hugh

Ruddock, Joan

Ryder, Richard

Sackville, Hon Tom

Sayeed, Jonathan

Shaw, Sir Michael (Scarb')

Shelton, Sir William (Streatham)

Shersby, Michael

Shore, Rt Hon Peter

Short, Clare

Sims, Roger

Skeet, Sir Trevor

Smith, C. (Isl'ton & F'bury)

Speed, Keith

Spicer, Michael (S Worcs)

Stanbrook, Ivor

Stanley, Rt Hon Sir John

Steel, Rt Hon David

Steinberg, Gerry

Stern, Michael

Stewart, Allan (Eastwood)

Sumberg, David

Summerson, Hugo

Taylor, John M (Solihull)

Taylor, Teddy (S'end E)

Thompson, Patrick (Norwich N)

Thorne, Neil

Thurnham, Peter

Tracey, Richard

Tredinnick, David

Turner, Dennis

Waddington, Rt Hon David

Wakeham, Rt Hon John

Wall, Pat

Waller, Gary

Walley, Joan

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