I FELT ashamed to be a member of the York electorate as I watched Prime Minister's Questions last Wednesday.

As Tony Blair fielded intelligent and probing questions from all sides of the House on big issues such as the right of householders to defend themselves against burglars, the stalling of the peace process in Northern Ireland and the eradication of world poverty, up popped Hugh Bayley complete with caption naming him as MP for City of York.

I have always had a lot of time for Hugh as a competent and hardworking backbencher, and wondered which political hot potato he would concentrate minds on with a telling and apposite contribution.

Hugh's big question?

What are the Government's plans to eradicate the evil of discarded chewing gum from the nation's pavements?

I wondered if this was Hugh Bayley's idea of a little comic relief, although his demeanour suggested otherwise.

Presumably it was a roundabout attempt to draw attention to the commendable Clean Neighbourhoods Act. If so it was absolutely pathetic.

At least it gave Leader of the Commons Peter Hain a good belly laugh. I just held my head in my hands.

Stephen Dalby,

Irwin Avenue, York.

Updated: 11:02 Friday, December 10, 2004