Point of Order

Barry Sheerman Excerpts

Thursday 5th September 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. During the very important urgent question earlier, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said at one stage “he did not tell me the truth”. Opposition Members could not quite work out which person the Secretary of State was alluding to and that could lead to a great injustice to a particular person. Is there any way that you, Mr Speaker, could clear it up?

[Mr Speaker]

I am a little concerned that the hon. Gentleman has a sense of my psychic quality that is not matched by the reality. I cannot possibly know who the Secretary of State had in mind. The hon. Gentleman refers to a “particular person” who might have been subject to a grave injustice, but it must be said that the particular person, if there is such a person, is unlikely to be aware of that fact if he or she was not identified by the Secretary of State.

[Mr Sheerman]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I do not think that there is a need at this stage for a further point of order. I wish to offer the hon. Gentleman practical advice. He should write to the Secretary of State and ask him who, if anyone, he had in mind. If that approach is unavailing and the hon. Gentleman wishes to pursue the matter further, I rather suspect that he will require no encouragement to do just that.