Contaminated Blood and Blood Products

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Thursday 14th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

As Members will have noticed—I shall remind the House again—Mr Speaker has not selected the amendment.

--- Later in debate ---

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. May I remind hon. Members that Mr Speaker has set a time limit on speeches of five minutes? That does not mean that every Member has to take all their five minutes. Some 24 or more Members wish to participate in this important debate, so I ask you all to help your colleagues out by making your points succinctly, so that we can get in as many speakers as possible.

[Mr Tom Clarke (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Will you confirm that if Members take interventions during those five minutes, they will be given penalty time?

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I can confirm that the normal procedure for interventions and compensation time apply to those five minutes. I hope that that is clear.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Geoffrey Robinson]

On that point, if the Government intend to do what they have outlined in their written statement, why did they not table an amendment to that effect? Why did they squirrel the information away in a statement in the Library? The right hon. Member for Charnwood (Mr Dorrell) is long enough in the tooth to know that they have not deliberately done it like this, but had they tabled such an amendment, incorporating their statement, we would have been very inclined to vote for it—

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. Interventions must be interventions; the hon. Gentleman must not make another speech.

[Mr Clarke]

I feel that there ought to be more humility on both sides of the House as we debate this matter, and I hope that I shall be able to exercise some myself. This issue has not been properly dealt with by Governments of all shades for a quarter of a century. It is amazing, but this is our first debate on the subject in a quarter of a century. I welcome the debate, and as the motion tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry North West is the only practical proposal before the House, I shall take pride in voting for it. I have held a number of responsibilities myself, including that of shadow spokesperson on disability. The hon. Member for Bristol North West (Charlotte Leslie) asked earlier what had been done so far, and the answer is: not enough.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dr Lee]

The hon. Lady makes a fair point. I should like to meet the Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), to discuss this. I hope that she can give me a little time because I should like to discuss a series of issues with her.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. I am sorry, but the time limit has been reached.