What steps she is taking to ensure that details of ministerial statements are not given to the media before they are made to the House.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House and I believe strongly in the principle laid down and followed by successive Governments that key announcements should be made first to Parliament. The ministerial code states:

"When Parliament is in session, the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance, in Parliament."

Yesterday when we had Prime Minister's questions, the Press Gallery was overflowing and every word was being listened to, because the press did not know what would happen. When the Prime Minister made a very important statement on Afghanistan the Press Gallery cleared, because the press knew in advance what was in that statement. That is wholly unacceptable. I remind the Leader of the House that in a few months' time she may be Leader of the Opposition, when she might take a different view on the leaking of statements.

Every time we get into this debate, we are really talking about things that the media are doing. They research stories, come into the House to pick up a few details from a statement and then rush out. It is not reasonable to assume in every case that there have been leaks. If the hon. Gentleman knows of specific instances or has specific evidence or proof, I am sure that the Leader of the House would be interested to hear about it.

Can the House be told whether there has ever been an instance, either in this Parliament or previously, of any Minister or Secretary of State being sanctioned in any way for having breached the House's rules in relation to ministerial statements or leaks? Has any sanction ever been applied?

We are straying into issues that are predominantly for you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly if you felt very strongly about that you could allow an urgent question. I am not personally aware of any cases.

Is not Mr. Bone absolutely right? The problem starts at the top. I do not want to give the Deputy Leader of the House a mission impossible, but the Prime Minister must desist from making premature statements as he did at the beginning of the week, if she wants an example, on the sale of assets. He made a statement outside the House without consulting local government or anybody else beforehand. We then had to ask a question, which you, Mr. Speaker, very kindly accepted as an urgent question. We then got not the Prime Minister, not the Chancellor of the Exchequer but the Chief Secretary to the Treasury-not the organ grinder, not the monkey but the monkey's assistant-to tell the House what the Prime Minister had said. Is that acceptable?

indicated dissent.

No, that is not acceptable!

I made the point in my earlier response that it is the most important announcements of Government policy that are covered. It is not the case that every single thing announced by the Government has to be announced to Parliament first. There is an interplay between the oral statements that we schedule and the urgent questions that you allow, Mr. Speaker, and that will be satisfactory for the future.