§ 3.8 p.m.
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington)My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.
This Motion follows the Business Motion that I moved yesterday and is similar to the one I moved on 1st July. The purpose is to ensure that if the process in Northern Ireland goes as hoped, the final necessary secondary legislation can be laid before the House arid taken on this coming Friday. Whenever the legislation is timed there will clearly not be time for the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments to report on it as it held its meeting for this week on Tuesday in the normal way.
The second limb of the Motion I move today, to suspend Standing Order 70, therefore allows a Motion to approve any secondary legislation laid before the House tomorrow or on Friday to be taken notwithstanding that the Joint Committee has not had the opportunity to report on it to the House.
337 The first part of my Motion today allows an order laid on Friday to be debated on Friday, as is anticipated. The Motion is purely an enabling Motion and if no order is laid, or if it is laid on Thursday, normal procedures will apply. I am sure it will be of interest to your Lordships to know that the Motion has the full consent of the usual channels and, as we have agreed, the Cross-Bench Peers have, once again, been consulted on this important issue.
Moved, That in the event that one or more statutory instruments relating to Northern Ireland are laid before the House tomorrow or on Friday next, a Motion or Motions to approve them may, notwithstanding the practice of the House, be moved that day without notice; and that Standing Order 70 (Affirmative Instruments) be dispensed with to enable the Motion or Motions to be taken, notwithstanding that no report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments on the instruments has been laid before the House.—(Baroness Jay of Paddington.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.