Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)

On a point of order, Mr. Pike. I have a copy of the list of Committee members here. Can you confirm whether it is up to date? I have heard a rumour that one of the 16 members has been taken off it, or has asked to be. Do you have any knowledge of that?

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

The Chair is not aware of any change in the membership of the Committee.

Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Pike. I am grateful for your reply, but you will have noticed, if you have looked at Hansard for our proceedings thus far, that the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) has not actually been here. I suppose that that is reasonable in one way, as we have reached discussion of Wales only this afternoon. I exempt the Under-Secretary of State for Wales from attending when he has other ministerial duties to perform, but we Back Benchers ought to be here and I had assumed that the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy would appear this afternoon. However, I am told that you may have had a message saying that he is not going to bother to come, Mr. Pike. Perhaps you can confirm that.

Not only is the hon. Gentleman not bothering to come, but no one else from Plaid Cymru can be bothered to come either. They are far too busy worrying about party politics and electioneering. Is it or is it not an abuse of the House for someone to be given a place on a Committee but not to bother to use it?

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

Order. The hon. Gentleman has made his point. He knows that it is not a matter for the Chair. Only one Member from Plaid Cymru is on the Committee. He is not here and I recognise that the business for this afternoon concerns Wales, but that is not a matter for the Chair.

Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Pike. I can accept that, but is there any mechanism whereby the Government or the official Opposition can make use of a Committee place in such a debate if someone else cannot be bothered to take it? I would rather see the Labour party have that place than see it stay empty. We are prepared to have the debate and produce people who care about Wales, even if Plaid Cymru is not.

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

Order. The hon. Gentleman knows that appointments to the Committee are not a matter for the Chair. They are made on a basis agreed by the House. The Committee of Selection made that appointment and I have no power to change the distribution of places. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman has made his point and that people can use it, but it is not for me to comment on.

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Pike. I spoke in person to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, who informed me that the Government had not consulted him about putting him on the Committee. When he found he was on it, he asked to be relieved of his duties, but he is still on it. In the rather unusual circumstances in which someone is clearly unable to serve on a Committee, is there any mechanism for the Opposition to substitute someone else?

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

I cannot comment on that. I am not a member of the usual channels or the Committee of Selection.

Mr Tony McNulty (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Harrow East, Labour)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Pike. Purely for the sake of clarity and accuracy, I should point out that the Government do not appoint minority party Members to Committees except at the behest of their Whip. That Whip is the Member from the Scottish National party, that fellow who used to sing for Runrig—I cannot remember his constituency. The name of the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy was duly put forward through Government channels to the Committee of Selection by that Whip, not by the Government.

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

That really must be the last point of order. I am mindful that we have much business on which to make progress, so I cannot allow any more time on that matter.Clause 54 Wales Spatial Plan