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Walden, George

Waller, Gary

Wardle, Charles (Bexhill)

Waterson, Nigel

Wheeler, Rt Hon Sir John

Whittingdale, John

Widdecombe, Ann

Willetts, David

Wood, Timothy

Tellers for the Ayes :

Mr. David Lightbown and

Mr. Andrew McKay.

NOES

Bayley, Hugh

Bennett, Andrew F.

Callaghan, Jim

Campbell-Savours, D. N.

Cann, Jamie

Chisholm, Malcolm

Clark, Dr David (South Shields)

Clwyd, Mrs Ann

Cohen, Harry

Connarty, Michael

Cryer, Bob

Davidson, Ian

Dixon, Don

Fatchett, Derek

Flynn, Paul

Gerrard, Neil

Godman, Dr Norman A.

Gordon, Mildred

Graham, Thomas

Gunnell, John

Hood, Jimmy

Illsley, Eric

Jamieson, David

Jones, Barry (Alyn and D'side)

Jones, Jon Owen (Cardiff C)

Loyden, Eddie

McAvoy, Thomas

Martin, Michael J. (Springburn)

Morris, Estelle (B'ham Yardley)

O'Brien, William (Normanton)

Parry, Robert

Primarolo, Dawn

Redmond, Martin

Rooney, Terry

Skinner, Dennis

Spellar, John

Taylor, Mrs Ann (Dewsbury)

Winnick, David

Wise, Audrey

Wray, Jimmy

Tellers for the Noes :

Mr. Andrew Meale and

Mr. Harry Barnes.

Question accordingly agreed to.

Mr. A. J. Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed) : On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The confusion among hon. Members earlier about whether they should rise or sit to cast their vote may have arisen because they had forgotten that Standing Order No. 39 was invoked in July 1975 by the Labour Government against my right hon. Friends and myself and various Members present today, including the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Cryer).

Mr. Deputy Speaker : The hon. Member should have said "under a Labour Government".

It might be for the convenience of the House if I try to clarify matters. I now have the second report of the Select Committee on Procedure from the 1976-77 Session, paragraph 5 of which on page 6 says :

"Your Committee consider that the requirement to be covered should remain, and that any form of headgear should be acceptable, but that for reasons already stated, such articles as hankerchiefs or Order papers, which are instantly available to all Members, should not be accepted."

The Committee considers that the same rule should apply to lady Members. It recommends that a second piece of headgear should be kept behind the Chair. I hope that hon. Members will accept that that is the reference that has guided me this evening.

Mr. Campbell-Savours : Further to that point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Will you remind the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith), who I understood was a master of procedure, that he is wrong? A Labour Government did not exercise the procedure ; Mr. Speaker did. Perhaps he should know the rule.

Mr. Deputy Speaker : I thought that I had made that clear.

Mr. Campbell-Savours : Will you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, clarify the position with regard to wearing the hat? Many of us are deeply embarrassed at having to wear headgear of such a nature. [Interruption.] It is a fair point to make. We believe that it brings ridicule on Parliament and on us

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as Members. Therefore, as the proceedings of the House are now televised and transmitted all over the world, will you consider raising the matter with the Chairman of the Procedure Committee with a view to avoiding such embarrassment for Members?

Mr. Deputy Speaker : The hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do that any Member can raise such a matter with the Procedure Committee. I shall cogitate on whether it is appropriate that I should, but the hon. Gentleman may wish to make his own submission. I hope that that has finished the issue of the hat.

Mr. Cryer : On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. During this evening's discussions and points of order, it has become clear that there are difficulties with the new microphone system. When hon. Members remain seated, as they are required to do during a Division, particularly those on the Front Bench, they are well out of range of the microphones. The new microphones were installed relatively recently, and clearly they are inadequate--particularly in respect of right hon. and hon. Members seated on the Front Benches near yourself, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Also, the microphones are normally switched off until a right hon. or hon. Member is called, when the nearest microphone is switched on. However, there appears to be some delay in that respect. I did not hear, for example, the point of order of my hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes) because he was inaudible--not because of the noise in the Chamber but because of the lack of amplification. If this procedure is invoked again, that could lead to myriad points of order by seated right hon. and hon. Members. It might be helpful if the sound engineers could ascertain whether the microphones might be pointed downwards, so that points of order from seated right hon. and hon. Members wearing appropriate headgear might be heard.

Mr. Deputy Speaker : Life is full of difficulties, but I will bring the hon. Gentleman's point to the attention of the Supervisor of Broadcasting.

Mr. Connarty : On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. You quoted a definition to the effect that a readily available item would not be considered suitable headgear. You probably saw me labouring away at making this hat, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Would placing it behind the Chair be appropriate? Also, I am not someone who naturally wears a bonnet or an opera hat. Could not a decent, well-designed fedora also be placed behind the Chair?

Mr. Deputy Speaker : I quoted the reference, and I urge the hon. Gentleman to read Hansard tomorrow morning and then decide on the kind of hat that he considers appropriate, within the rules of the House.

Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman (Lancaster) : On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Is it in order for the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) to sit in that laconic way on the arm of his Bench?

Mr. Deputy Speaker : Right hon. and hon. Members should sit on the Benches.

Dr. Godman : On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I have been sitting here listening quietly to your various

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comments. Perhaps I may ask you, in what I hope is a typically polite way, whether you are in a position to reply to my earlier point of order about motion No. 19?

Mr. Deputy Speaker : We are taking the motions one at a time.

MEDICINES CONTROL AGENCY

Motion made, and Question put forthwith pursuant to Standing Order No. 101(5) (Standing Committees on Statutory Instruments, &c.), That the draft Medicines Control Agency Trading Fund Order 1993, which was laid before this House on 10th February, be approved.-- [Mr. MacKay.]

Question agreed to.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITY DOCUMENTS

Motion made, and Question put forthwith pursuant to Standing Order No. 102(9) (European Standing Committees.)

Potatoes

That this House takes note of the Court of Auditors' Report concerning the financial year 1991 together with the institutions' replies (OJ No. C330, Volume 35) and the unnumbered Explanatory Memorandum submitted by HM Treasury on 25th February 1993 relating to the draft Council Recommendation to the European Parliament on the discharge of the General Budget of the European Communities for the financial year 1991.-- [Mr. MacKay.]

The House divided : Ayes 127, Noes 53.

Division No. 191] [10.37pm

AYES

Ainsworth, Peter (East Surrey)

Aitken, Jonathan

Alexander, Richard

Alison, Rt Hon Michael (Selby)

Amess, David

Ancram, Michael

Arbuthnot, James

Arnold, Jacques (Gravesham)

Arnold, Sir Thomas (Hazel Grv)

Atkinson, Peter (Hexham)

Baker, Rt Hon K. (Mole Valley)

Baker, Nicholas (Dorset North)

Beresford, Sir Paul

Blackburn, Dr John G.

Bonsor, Sir Nicholas

Bowis, John

Brandreth, Gyles

Brazier, Julian

Bright, Graham

Brown, M. (Brigg & Cl'thorpes)

Browning, Mrs. Angela

Burt, Alistair

Carrington, Matthew

Carttiss, Michael

Cash, William

Clappison, James

Clarke, Rt Hon Kenneth (Ruclif)

Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey

Coombs, Simon (Swindon)

Cope, Rt Hon Sir John

Currie, Mrs Edwina (S D'by'ire)

Davies, Quentin (Stamford)

Davis, David (Boothferry)

Devlin, Tim

Douglas-Hamilton, Lord James

Dover, Den

Duncan, Alan

Duncan-Smith, Iain

Elletson, Harold

Evans, Jonathan (Brecon)

Faber, David

Fabricant, Michael

Fenner, Dame Peggy

Forman, Nigel

Freeman, Roger

Gale, Roger

Gallie, Phil

Garel-Jones, Rt Hon Tristan

Goodson-Wickes, Dr Charles

Greenway, Harry (Ealing N)

Greenway, John (Ryedale)

Griffiths, Peter (Portsmouth, N)

Hague, William

Hanley, Jeremy

Harris, David

Haselhurst, Alan

Hawksley, Warren

Heald, Oliver

Heathcoat-Amory, David

Higgins, Rt Hon Sir Terence L.

Hughes Robert G. (Harrow W)

Hunt, Sir John (Ravensbourne)

Hunter, Andrew

Jack, Michael

Jones, Gwilym (Cardiff N)

Jones, Robert B. (W Hertfdshr)

Kellett-Bowman, Dame Elaine

Kilfedder, Sir James

King, Rt Hon Tom

Knapman, Roger

Knight, Greg (Derby N)

Kynoch, George (Kincardine)

Lait, Mrs Jacqui

Legg, Barry

Lennox-Boyd, Mark

Lidington, David

Lightbown, David

Lord, Michael

Luff, Peter

Lyell, Rt Hon Sir Nicholas

MacKay, Andrew

Maclean, David

Malone, Gerald

Mans, Keith

Marlow, Tony

Merchant, Piers

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