§ Read a Second time.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, That the Bill be committed to a Committee of the whole House.—[Mr. Bottomley.]
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Paul Dean)I must draw the attention of the House to the fact that it is unusual to take the Committee stage of a Bill without notice. Is there any objection?
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Bill immediately considered in Committee; reported, without amendment.
§ Motion made, and Question, That the Bill be now read the Third time, put forthwith pursuant to Standing Order No. 58 (Third Reading), and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed.
§ Mr. Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull, North)On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I support the Road Traffic (Driving Instruction) Bill. I heard your observation on the taking of the Committee stage of the Bill today. It might interest the House to know that I have followed that procedure with a Bill in the past, and without even having won a place in the ballot. A former Conservative Government also followed that procedure —without discussion, amendment or notice—when they were dealing with the problem of the legality of British troops' operations in Northern Ireland, when the case of the hon. Member for Londonderry, East (Mr. Ross) was upheld in the House of Lords.
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerI understand the hon. Gentleman's point. The procedure was quite in order. I specifically drew the attention of the House to the fact that it was unusual to take a Committee stage without notice. As there was no objection, the subsequent proceedings were in order.