On a point of order, Presiding Officer, of which I have given advance notice. I seek your advice on how a ministerial statement can be made tomorrow in the light of the announcement in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Health, John Reid, that a patient died of variant CJD after receiving a blood transfusion from a donor who was subsequently found to have developed the disease. The chief medical officer's conclusion was that the possibility that the infection was transfusion related could not be discounted. Given today's serious developments and the fact that we have almost reached the recess, would it be in order for business managers to meet again to consider making time available tomorrow for a ministerial statement on the matter and will you use your office to facilitate that?
That is not a bona fide point of order. The Parliamentary Bureau considered a similar matter yesterday and decided, contrary to the views put forward by Mr Crawford, that if business managers voluntarily want to meet, that is up to them. In the meantime, I would have thought that the proper course of action would be for you to oppose the business motion tonight—I shall give you five minutes to do so—when you might elicit a reply from the Executive.