Speaker’s Statement

John Bercow Excerpts

Monday 10th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Before we come to the main business, I have a statement to make on the handling of it. Several hon. and right hon. Members have asked me to rule on the scope of each of the two motions today relating to the protocol 36 opt-in regulations. It might be of assistance to Members intending to take part in the debates if I do so now. On the business of the House motion, any debate should focus on the time to be allocated to the subsequent debate and the putting of the question at its conclusion. Members will have to exercise some ingenuity if they wish to raise other matters, such as the absence of an opportunity for the House to express an opinion or to vote on all or any of the related matters not contained in the regulations. Such remarks must demonstrate a reasonable connection with the business of the House proposition before the House.

On the substantive motion to approve the regulations, which I understand transpose into UK law 10 of the 35 measures the Government have decided that the UK should rejoin, I will be prepared to offer some latitude in permitting reference to the merits or otherwise of rejoining those related measures not requiring transposition and therefore not in the regulations, as listed in the Government’s explanatory memorandum on the regulations. I ask hon. and right hon. Members to lighten the burden on the Chair by holding in their minds the actual question before the House. The Chair and the House can deal only with what is on the Order Paper.