Motion made, and Question proposed,That Mr. Robert Harvey, Mr. Tom Hooson, Mr. F'eter Hubbard-Miles, Mr. Gwilym Jones, Dr. John Marek, Sir Anthony Meyer, Mr. Keith Raffan, Mr. Stefan Terlezki, Dr. Roger Thomas, Mr. Gareth-Wardell and Mr. Dafydd Wigley he members of the Welsh Affairs Committee. — [Sir Philip Holland, on behalf of the Committee of Selection.]

Amendment proposed to the Question, pursuant to the Order [12 December], leave out 'Mr. Robert Harvey'. —[Mr. Beith.]

Question put, That the amendment be made:—

The House divided: Ayes 25, Noes 112.

Question accordingly negatived.

Main Question put:—

The House divided: Ayes 102, Noes 19.

Question accordingly agreed to.

Ordered,That Mr. Robert Harvey, Mr. Tom Hooson, Mr. Peter Hubbard-Miles, Mr. Gwilym Jones, Dr. John Marek, Sir Anthony Meyer, Mr. Keith Raffan, Mr. Stefan Terlezki, Dr. Roger Thomas, Mr. Gareth Wardell and Mr. Dafydd Wigley be members of the Welsh Affairs Committee.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. It will be within your recollection and that of the House that a short while ago the Chairman of the Committee of Selection told the House that the matter of appointments to Select Committees was not something in which the Whips should be involved. It will be obvious to all that that was not only wide of the truth but the reverse of it.

rose—

Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Before you call the hon Member for Gedling (sir P. Holland), you should know that the Chairman of the Committee of Selection was in the Lobby thanking hon. Members for voting the way that he had claimed he himself would not vote. He stood in the Lobby throughout the preceding Division, thanking hon. Members for being present.

With permission, Mr. Speaker, I shall answer that allegation.

I was in the Lobby to thank hon. Members who had stayed on a series of private Members' motions. I was in the side where the majority of hon. Members were and I thanked the majority. The Members who were in the other side were there for a very good reason, to promote their own amendment. Therefore, the Members who stayed not to promote an amendment were the ones I had to thank

Given the allegation by the Liberal Whip, the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith), the explanation my hon. Friend the Chairman of the Committee of Selection, and the evidence of those hon. Members who were there in the Division Lobby, which the Liberals were not, I think that it would be appropriate for the hon. Member to withdraw his allegation

On one matter that the House discussed, the recommendation of the Committee of Selection was supported by a minority, not by the majority who voted. In that instance, surely it would have been appropriate—and I respect the impartiality of the Chairman—that he should have been in the relevant Lobby taking the view that his Committee took. What the hon. Member says, therefore, does not conceal the fact that he had a consistent attitude throughout the debate and it does not support what he now says to the House

None of these are matters for the Chair.