Clause 25 - Power of governing body to provide
Education Bill
11:15 am
Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West, Conservative)
Further to that point of order, Mr. Griffiths. We are grateful to the Minister when he distributes draft regulations in a genuine attempt to be helpful. We have pressed for that on many occasions. However, I suggest to the Minister that it is not helpful to the Committee, and is perhaps even unhelpful, when draft regulations are received in the internal post at 10.30 on the morning on which a particular clause is to be discussed—as happened this morning. Technically, the Minister will be able to claim that the information was available to Opposition Members before discussion in Committee. Practically, I have had no opportunity to read the letter that arrived this morning while the Committee was sitting and, because the Minister offered generously to distribute copies of the paper to all members of the Committee during the sitting, there is no proper opportunity for any member of the Committee to consider the detailed document.
I ask that consideration be given to a brief suspension to allow hon. Members to read the document, or to the reordering of the discussion of the clauses. If the papers are of value when considering clause 28, it is senseless for us to proceed with the discussion without reading them.