Counter-Terrorism Bill
10:30 am
John Bercow (Buckingham, Conservative)
Before we begin, I have a few announcements. Members may, if they wish, remove their jackets during Committee meetings. I emphasise at the outset that in today’s proceedings and those on Thursday—that is to say during the passage of the resolutions with which we are about to deal and then in the public evidence sessions—members of the Committee should remain seated. When we get to clause by clause, line by line consideration, members will conduct themselves as they usually operate in the Chamber, standing when speaking. Please ensure that all mobile phones, pagers, etc. are turned off or are switched to silent mode during Committee meetings. In addition, I remind the Committee that there are money and Ways and Means resolutions in connection with this Bill, of which copies are available in the room. I would also like to remind members that adequate notice should be given of amendments. As a general rule, I and my fellow Chairman Mr. O’Hara do not intend to call starred amendments.
The process of taking oral evidence in Public Bill Committees is of course new, and it might therefore help if I briefly explained what is proposed, so that it can be clear to us all. The Committee will first be asked to consider the programme motion on the amendment paper, for which debate is limited to half an hour. We will then proceed to a motion to report written evidence, and then a motion to permit the Committee to deliberate in private in advance of the oral evidence sessions, which I hope we can take formally. Assuming that the second of those motions has been agreed to, the Committee will move into private session. Once the Committee has deliberated, the witnesses and members of the public will be invited back into the room and our oral evidence session will commence. If the Committee agrees to the programme motion, it will hear oral evidence today and on Thursday and then revert to the more familiar proceedings of clause by clause scrutiny next week. Before I call the Minister to move the programme motion, I inform the Committee that I have selected amendment (a) to the motion, which stands on the paper in the name of Mr. Dominic Grieve. I first call Tony McNulty to move the motion.