Point of Order

– in the House of Commons at 12:53 pm on 7 January 2010.

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Photo of Philip Davies Philip Davies Conservative, Shipley 12:53, 7 January 2010

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Earlier in business questions, which I am sure you were following avidly, the Leader of the House clearly said that nobody had been released from prison early because of overcrowding. That is surprising, given that the Government introduced a scheme that releases all prisoners 16 days early from prison, specifically because prisons are overcrowded. Given that people following proceedings in the House or reading Hansard should be able to rely on the accuracy of the things said here, particularly by those on the Government Front Bench, can you ensure that the Leader of the House corrects the record, so that people are not misled about the state of play with regard to prisoners being released from prison?

Photo of Alan Haselhurst Alan Haselhurst Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means

No, I cannot. However, if the Leader of the House wishes to catch my eye, further to the point that the hon. Gentleman has raised, which is not strictly a point of order, I am sure that she will try to help.

Photo of Harriet Harman Harriet Harman Chair, Modernisation of the House of Commons Committee, Minister of State (Government Equalities Office), The Leader of the House of Commons , Member, Labour Party National Executive Committee, Party Chair, Labour Party, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

Further to that point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I am grateful to Philip Davies for bringing that issue to my attention. What I meant was that nobody is released outwith the framework that the Justice Secretary has presented to the House in respect of the overall approach to the provision of early release, which is a well established pattern that has been followed not only by this Government, but by previous Governments.

Photo of Alan Haselhurst Alan Haselhurst Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means

I am grateful to the Leader of the House. I hope that everyone is clear and happy about the situation.