Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)

On a point of order, Mr. Pike. One of the joys of getting up at this unearthly hour, is that some of us have been up for many hours already to prepare to debate amendments. However, yet again we have a problem in that housekeeping functions are not keeping up to the speed of the Committee. I know that we work at lightning speed, but as yet we do not have Hansard for our previous sittings. I do not see how the Committee can function properly until we have seen a record of what happened in those sittings. I seek your guidance as to whether the Committee can be postponed until such time as we can obtain copies of Hansard. I do not see how we can perform our function otherwise.

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

That is not a matter for the Chair, but I will ensure that those comments are passed on. I am told that Hansard should be available some time today.

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Pike. With great respect, I do not think that that is good enough. I simply do not know how we are expected to function if we do not have a record of what happened in the previous sittings. I ask again whether the Committee can be postponed until we can obtain copies of Hansard.

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

I have no power to do that. I understand the hon. Gentleman's point and I will ensure that it is drawn to the attention of the appropriate people. I have no power to take the motion that he is moving.

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Pike. I seek your guidance and clarification. As of yesterday, we did not have a consolidated document on all the amendments. The somewhat arcane numbering system for our amendments makes it difficult enough to follow them in any case, but when they appear on three different pieces of paper—for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week—matters are even worse. How many times a week does that consolidated document come out? I understand that it used to appear every day, but that no longer appears to be the case.

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

That point is incorrect. The consolidated list is published on each day on which the Committee sits, which means it is published twice a week. On other days, additional lists are printed that show the additional motions and amendments tabled since the previous meeting.

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)

Further to that point of order, Mr. Pike. I do not want to be abstruse, and I know that the Committee wants to get on. I am not trying to waste time, but I want to get the mechanics right. We had a separate list on Thursday and Friday. I cannot

understand why Friday's list did not consolidate Thursday's amendments as well.

Mr Peter Pike (Burnley, Labour)

The point is that the lists are published on the basis that they are not consolidated until they have to be prepared for the Committee sitting. That procedure has always applied. Whatever Committee you sit on, you will pick up several lists until the day of the sitting.

Mr Tony McNulty (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Harrow East, Labour)

I beg to move

That—

(1) during proceedings on the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill the Standing Committee do meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at five minutes to Nine o'clock and at half-past Two o'clock;

(2) 12 sittings in all shall be allotted to the consideration of the Bill by the Committee;

(3) the proceedings to be taken on the sittings shall be as shown in the second column of the Table below and shall be taken in the order so shown;

(4) the proceedings which under paragraph (3) are to be taken on any sitting shall (and so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the time specified in the third column of the Table;

(5) paragraph (3) does not prevent proceedings being taken (in the order shown in the second column of the Table) at any earlier sitting than that provided for under paragraph (3) if previous proceedings have already been concluded.

The programming motion was greeted with unusual acclamation and unanimity in the programming sub-

committee. I should put my hand up and say mea culpa for the need for it, because I had a significant input to the original programming motion. The notion that clauses 12 and 13 and the start of part 2 should be incorporated with prior deliberations was an oversight that we have duly corrected. I commend the motion to the Committee.

Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)

It would be churlish of us not to thank the usual channels for facilitating this opportunity to do things in a different way, and I thank the Minister for saying that he might have had a hand in what happened. While on my feet, I cannot miss the opportunity to say that the advice that we have always given and the objections that we have always raised to the inclusion of knives in the debate of a Bill have been proved to be correct. Had we been working our way sensibly through this one, the Minister's correction would not have been necessary, and my intervention need not have taken place.

Question put and agreed to.