Commons fight over coastguard debate
By Tony Grew - 9th March 2011
SNP MP Angus MacNeil was told off by the Speaker today for attacking the backbench business committee.
Macneil expressed anger that a debate scheduled for tomorrow on the coastguard was removed from the order paper yesterday.
On a point of order he said he was "livid" about the change to business and the way in which is was handled.
He also said that smaller parties are "badly treated by this so-called backbench business committee" which is made up of Labour, Tory and Lib Dem MPs.
Macneil accused the committee of making the change "on a whim".
The Speaker said he would not allow references to a "so-called" committee.
Speaker Bercow told the House that Labour MP Natascha Engel has chaired it "extremely assiduously" and he will not have "aspersions cast".
He told Macneil that the debate has now been rescheduled for next week in Westminster Hall.
Other MPs tried to continue the conversation but the Speaker was not prepared to go through the ins and outs of the timing or cancellation.
Engel apologised for the way in which the debate was pulled at short notice.
She said she had rescheduled it to "protect" it at three hours long and added that at times "parliamentary business changes at a moment's notice".
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