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Questions to Ministers Question Time will change unless this course is followed. I propose to follow I propose to follow it until the House instructs me otherwise.
Mr. Dykes: Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I am sure that there will be a wide welcome for your proposal. There is a special characteristic and pos- sible problem in respect of EEC ques- tions after the Foreign Affairs questions slot. Specific subjects are bound to be transferred to the relevant Departments because of the way in which the constitu- tional relationship between the Govern- ment and the EEC operates. There is bound to be a wider aspect in EEC questions because of the Foreign Office spokesman's role in dealing with consti- tutional matters relating to the EEC.
Mr. Skinner rose-
Mr. Speaker: I shall call the hon. Mem- ber for Bolsover
Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) in a moment. I welcome him back, on St. George's Day.
Whilst I am preparing myself to call the hon. Gentleman, I must tell the hon. Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Dykes) that the subject of open questions about the EEC was one matter which I con- sidered carefully. Such questions were asked last week. Neither the Minister nor
the House knew what topic was coming up. The topics ranged between Afghani- stan, the Olympic Games and Iraq. The House is entitled to have notice of the questions which are to be asked.
Mr. Skinner: I have left the dragon outside!
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I think that you have not looked at the matter as closely as you should, especially in relation to the Common Market and the chairmen of nationalised industries. One of the problems is that we cannot ask relatively narrow questions about nationalised industries because of argu- ments about day-to-day administration. One of the reasons for questions about meetings with the chairmen of British Rail, the National Coal Board and other nationalised industries is to overcome the possibility of such questions being stopped at the Table Office. There will be diffi- culties if we are not allowed to table that type of question about nationalised industries. The matter needs another look.
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Mr. Speaker: May I say, before res- ponding to the hon. Gentleman's question, that I am glad that he is in his old form. I mean that. I am very glad to see him. I do not say anything about hearing him, but seeing him certainly, yes.
Question 2 today, an open question, drew supplementary questions dealing with salaries on the railways, electrifica- tion on the railways, freight in Cornwall, "Transport, 2000 ", rural transport, cash limits and the question of transport in Wales. Those questions, or some of them, could have been put on the Order Paper, and, if they could not, they were out of order.
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Mr. St. John-Stevas: May I, Mr. Speaker, express the gratitude of, I think, most hon. Members for your statement today, because I believe that the open question at Prime Minister's Question Time has led to abuse. Both the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Oppo- sition and the present Prime Minister have attempted to return the tradition to the more specific question. The more specific a question is, the more Ministers are in fact pinned down by it. I think that there would be a great danger to the tradition of our Question Time if the open question became the norm for all questions to Ministers, and I believe that
the vast majority of Members will be most grateful for the early action which you have taken.
Mr. Foot: While thanking you for the ruling or suggestion which you have given to the House, Mr. Speaker, may I say that some of us have some sympathy with what has been said by my hon. Friends, and one of the dangers of jumping out of the frying pan is that one may land in the fire. One of the problems is that these developments have occurred pre- cisely because of real difficulties, and I therefore urge you, Mr. Speaker, since you have yourself said that there shall be an experimental period, that if you find that the alternative abuse of Ministers being able to transfer questions or to escape their responsibilities arises, we should have the matter looked at by the Procedure Committee. Indeed, perhaps the Committee ought to look at it in any case. I hope, Mr. Speaker, that while we conduct the experiment which you have asked for, we shall look at the other possibilities, and I urge that that should go to the Procedure Committee.
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