Point of Order

In the House of Commons, Gregory Stafford, a Conservative MP for Farnham and Bordon, raised a point of order regarding a statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on July 29th. During that statement, the Chancellor had responded to Stafford's question about the impact of scrapping a new hospitals programme on Frimley Park hospital, which serves the northern part of Stafford's constituency. The Chancellor had promised that the Health Secretary would meet with those affected, including Frimley Park, to address the challenges. However, Stafford informed the House that he had not been contacted by either the Health Secretary or the Chancellor since then. He sought the Speaker's guidance on how he could secure the promised meeting and whether the Speaker had any advice for Ministers when making such promises in the House on behalf of their colleagues. The Speaker acknowledged that he had no responsibility for Ministers and did not want to have it. He assured Stafford that the message had been heard loudly and that the Treasury Bench had taken note of it. The Speaker advised Stafford that if the promised actions did not materialize, he could pursue the matter further through the Table Office, as there were many options available to him. The debate did not involve a response from the official opposition, as this was a point of order raised by a backbench MP. The discussion focused on the accountability of Ministers for the promises they make in the House and the mechanisms available to Members to ensure that those promises are fulfilled. The Speaker emphasized the importance of Ministers being held accountable for their statements and the need for them to follow through on their commitments.