Police (Northern Ireland) Bill [Lords]
9:15 am
Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)
I was coming to that very point. If the Government deem any further measures necessary to appease Sinn Fein-IRA, one could argue, on a
technicality, that it was better to deal with them on Report than in Committee. It is wrong to do that on both counts, but if anything major is to be brought forward as an addition to the Bill, to limit the debate to the few members of this Committee would be an abuse of democracy.
I hope that the Government will give an assurance that they will not use the Committee to deal with specific measures that started in another place and have been fully discussed there as a package, and are now here as a package. That is what I am focusing on. The hon. Gentleman, fairly, asks me what would I say if something were brought in on Report? With the technical exception that on Report, at least all Members of Parliament are entitled to speak, and that is a plus—