Thomas Docherty (Dunfermline and West Fife) (Lab)
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Further to the earlier exchange about the non-availability of information to Members, may I point out that at 10.15 this morning the Vote Office had still not received the written ministerial statement from the Leader of the House which is listed on today’s Order Paper? The Vote Office claims that it did not receive the link to the press briefing until 5 pm yesterday. Can anything be done to make the Leader of the House sort out the mess and investigate what is going on?
Mr Speaker
I think that the best course of action is for me to cause inquiries to be made about the timing of delivery, and, when I am in a better position to know exactly what happened, I can revert to the House if necessary, or alternatively to the principals. I do not think that we need to play it out further at this stage.
Mr Speaker
I feel sure that it is a point of order rather than one of frustration.
Mike Gapes
In view of the answer that I received from the Leader of the House, may I ask whether it would be possible to have an early response from the Secretary of State for Health to confirm that his Department and his officials were in no way involved in the breach of purdah which I am alleging took place in my constituency on 20 May?
Mr Speaker
Not for nothing has the hon. Gentleman been the sturdy representative of his constituency for the last 22 years. He is no stranger to the use of the parliamentary device of the point of order to convey his message, and I am sure that it will have been heard by those on the Treasury Bench. I think that we can leave it there, unless the Leader of the House feels an urgent desire to spring to his feet—of which, I confess, I detect no sign.
May I now ask for the understanding of the House as we undergo a formulaic but necessary procedure in respect of a number of Bills?