Mr Speaker
With the leave of the House, we shall take motions 5 to 9 together.
Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)),
Representation of the People
That the draft Elections (Fresh Signatures for Absent Voters) Regulations 2013, which were laid before this House on 25 April 2013, in the last Session of Parliament, be approved.
That the draft National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) (Fresh Signatures for Absent Voters) Order 2013, which was laid before this House on 8 May, be approved.
International Development
That the draft Asian Development Bank (Tenth Replenishment of the Asian Development Fund) Order 2013, which was laid before this House on 8 May, be approved.
Immigration
That the draft Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to immigration officers and designated customs officials in England and Wales) Order 2013, which was laid before this House on 25 April 2013, in the last Session of Parliament, be approved.
Financial Assistance to Industry
That this House authorises the Secretary of State to undertake to pay, and to pay by way of financial assistance under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982, sums exceeding £10 million and up to a cumulative total of £300 million in respect of investments to support lending to small and medium sized enterprises.—(Mr Syms.)
Question agreed to.
European Union Documents
Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 119(11)),
2012 Salary Adjustment for EU Staff
That this House takes note of European Union Documents No. 17322/12 and Addenda 1 and 2, a draft Regulation adjusting with effect from 1 July 2012 the remuneration and pensions of the officials and other servants of the European Union and the correction coefficients applied thereto, and No. 17360/12 and Addendum, a draft Regulation adjusting from 1 July 2012 the rate of contribution to the pension scheme of officials and other servants of the European Union, together with European Union Documents No. 11964/12, Opinion No. 5/2012 of the European Court of Auditors on the draft Regulation amending the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, No. 13327/12, Commission Report on the Exception Clause (Article 10 of Annex XI of the Staff Regulations), and No. 13270/12, Special Report No. 10/2012 of the European Court of Auditors: The effectiveness of staff development in the European Commission; questions the European Commission’s conclusion that recent and challenging economic conditions do not warrant the application of the Exception Clause; regrets that the Commission has not modified the salary adjustment method this year; stresses that consequent increases in EU staff pay, proposed by the Commission, are completely unacceptable; welcomes the findings and recommendation of the two reports from the European Court of Auditors; encourages the Commission to act upon these reports; rejects the Commission’s proposals on salary and pension adjustments and pension contribution rates; and emphasises the continuing need for genuine reform both to the Salary Adjustment Method and to the Staff Regulations in general in the context of the UK’s overarching goal to achieve real budgetary restraint in the EU institutions.—(Mr Syms.)
Question agreed to.
Written Statements by Members who Answer on Behalf of Statutory bodies
Resolved,
That:
(1) this House approves the recommendation of the Procedure Committee contained in paragraph 6 of its Fifth Report, Statements by Members who answer on behalf of statutory bodies (HC 1017), that the ability to make written statements should be extended to Members answering on behalf of statutory bodies.
Ordered,
That:
(2) Standing Order No. 22A be amended accordingly as follows:
(a) in the title, leave out ‘by Ministers’;
(b) in line 2, after ‘House,’, add ‘or other Member of the House to whom written questions may be addressed’;
(c) in line 2, leave out ‘his’ and insert ‘an’;
(d) in line 2, leave out ‘ministerial’.—(Mr Syms.)
COMMITTEES
European Scrutiny
Ordered,
That Jim Dobbin be discharged from the European Scrutiny Committee and Mr Joe Benton be added.—(Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, on behalf of the Committee of Selection.)
Health
Ordered,
That Chris Skidmore be discharged from the Health Committee and Charlotte Leslie be added.—(Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, on behalf of the Committee of Selection.)