New Clause 1 - Jurisdiction of the court
International Criminal Court Bill [Lords]
12:00 pm
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham, Conservative)
I do not dispute that at all—quite the reverse. There was merit in the way in which business was ordered in the other place, whereby the new clause came before consideration clause 1, rightly taking precedence, and was discussed at the beginning of the Committee rather than halfway through. However, I agree that the compromise seems to be the most sensible arrangement. I am glad that debate on the new clause has fallen to be discussed today, rather than on Thursday afternoon when the guillotine falls. While on that subject, I cannot help but say that it is a shame that we had to have a programme motion. Some accommodation on the Bill's timetabling could have been reached between the Front Bench members of the Committee and avoided the heavy-handed mechanism of the programming motion that now appears to attach to every Bill.