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871 Fixed-term <strong>Parliament</strong>s Bill 1 DECEMBER 2010 Fixed-term <strong>Parliament</strong>s Bill 872<br />

[Mr Jenkin]<br />

Moreover, the Minister has rested his justification for<br />

the Bill on the assertion that it would not be possible to<br />

write these provisions into the Standing Orders, which<br />

would be automatically immune. Let me read from the<br />

Clerk’s memorandum again. He said that<br />

“a Standing Order regulating the matters in the Bill could provide<br />

for its staying in effect unless repealed by a specified majority”,<br />

meaning that it could be entrenched,<br />

“for example by…equal to or greater than two thirds of the<br />

number of seats in the House. Not only is the principle of<br />

specifying majorities already written into the Standing Orders of<br />

the House, but in the past the House has also required a relative<br />

majority for reaching decision.”<br />

My hon. Friend the Minister also dismissed the<br />

comments that I read from Mr Robert Rogers, the Clerk<br />

Assistant and Director General, who made it clear that<br />

we can not only write into our Standing Orders provisions<br />

requiring super-majorities, but entrench a—[Interruption.]<br />

I am rather distressed that the Minister is not even<br />

listening to what I am saying. We can entrench a Standing<br />

Order with its own super-majority so that it could be<br />

removed only by a super-majority, if that is what the<br />

House chose to do. The whole basis of the Government’s<br />

advice remains contested by the Clerks. The basis of the<br />

Bill—that this has to be done through statute—also<br />

remains contested by the Clerks.<br />

I doubt that we will win the vote in the Committee<br />

this afternoon, but the Minister has failed to give a full<br />

response or to acknowledge any of the points that have<br />

been made. His subsection refers to a Speaker’s “certificate<br />

under this section”, which is very unspecific. At least<br />

the amendment states<br />

“Any certificate of the Speaker of the House of Commons<br />

given under this section shall be conclusive for all purposes”.<br />

That word “any” and the reference to the Speaker make<br />

it clear that whatever the Speaker issues is uncontested,<br />

rather than leave it open to the courts to determine<br />

whether the certificate presented by the Speaker complies<br />

with the legislation. I am afraid that the Minister has<br />

not satisfied me and I do not think that he has satisfied<br />

a great many of my colleagues on the Government<br />

Benches or in the official Opposition. I want to press<br />

the amendment to a vote.<br />

Question put, That the amendment be made.<br />

The Committee proceeded to a Division.<br />

Tessa Munt (Wells) (LD): On a point of order, Mr Evans.<br />

At lunchtime today I was sitting in the Terrace cafeteria<br />

and, for the second time in a fortnight, I was unable to<br />

hear the Division bells at all. T<strong>here</strong> was nothing to<br />

indicate that a vote was taking place. Can you facilitate<br />

Members’ ability to vote if they are sitting in that area,<br />

perhaps by asking the Badge Messengers to inform<br />

them that a vote is taking place while the problem is<br />

sorted out?<br />

The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means (Mr Nigel<br />

Evans): Thank you for that point of order. I must say<br />

that I have taken a number of points of order in a<br />

similar vein since taking the Chair on 8 June, and this is<br />

clearly worrying for Members as well as irritating for<br />

the Chair. I will instruct that the matter be fully investigated,<br />

not just in the area that the hon. Lady has spoken<br />

about, but throughout the parliamentary estate. Clearly,<br />

it could affect the outcome of a vote. In the short term,<br />

I ask that, every time t<strong>here</strong> is a Division today, a<br />

messenger goes particularly to that part of the House to<br />

ensure that Members are made aware that a Division is<br />

taking place.<br />

The Committee having divided: Ayes 231, Noes 295.<br />

Division No. 138]<br />

[3.42 pm<br />

Abbott, Ms Diane<br />

Ainsworth, rh Mr Bob<br />

Alexander, rh Mr Douglas<br />

Alexander, Heidi<br />

Ali, Rushanara<br />

Austin, Ian<br />

Bain, Mr William<br />

Balls, rh Ed<br />

Banks, Gordon<br />

Barron, rh Mr Kevin<br />

Bayley, Hugh<br />

Bell, Sir Stuart<br />

Benn, rh Hilary<br />

Berger, Luciana<br />

Betts, Mr Clive<br />

Blackman-Woods,<br />

Roberta<br />

Blears, rh Hazel<br />

Blenkinsop, Tom<br />

Blomfield, Paul<br />

Blunkett, rh Mr David<br />

Bradshaw, rh Mr Ben<br />

Brennan, Kevin<br />

Brown, Lyn<br />

Brown, rh Mr Nicholas<br />

Brown, Mr Russell<br />

Bryant, Chris<br />

Buck, Ms Karen<br />

Buckland, Mr Robert<br />

Burden, Richard<br />

Burnham, rh Andy<br />

Byrne, rh Mr Liam<br />

Cairns, David<br />

Campbell, Mr Alan<br />

Campbell, Mr Ronnie<br />

Caton, Martin<br />

Chapman, Mrs Jenny<br />

Clark, Katy<br />

Clarke, rh Mr Tom<br />

Clwyd, rh Ann<br />

Coaker, Vernon<br />

Coffey, Ann<br />

Cooper, Rosie<br />

Corbyn, Jeremy<br />

Crausby, Mr David<br />

Creagh, Mary<br />

Creasy, Stella<br />

Cruddas, Jon<br />

Cunningham, Alex<br />

Cunningham, Mr Jim<br />

Cunningham, Tony<br />

Curran, Margaret<br />

Dakin, Nic<br />

Danczuk, Simon<br />

Darling, rh Mr Alistair<br />

Davidson, Mr Ian<br />

Davies, Geraint<br />

Dobson, rh Frank<br />

Dodds, rh Mr Nigel<br />

Donohoe, Mr Brian H.<br />

Doran, Mr Frank<br />

AYES<br />

Doyle, Gemma<br />

Dromey, Jack<br />

Dugher, Michael<br />

Durkan, Mark<br />

Eagle, Ms Angela<br />

Eagle, Maria<br />

Edwards, Jonathan<br />

Efford, Clive<br />

Ellman, Mrs Louise<br />

Engel, Natascha<br />

Esterson, Bill<br />

Evans, Chris<br />

Field, rh Mr Frank<br />

Fitzpatrick, Jim<br />

Flint, rh Caroline<br />

Fovargue, Yvonne<br />

Francis, Dr Hywel<br />

Gapes, Mike<br />

Gardiner, Barry<br />

Gilmore, Sheila<br />

Glass, Pat<br />

Godsiff, Mr Roger<br />

Goggins, rh Paul<br />

Goodman, Helen<br />

Greatrex, Tom<br />

Green, Kate<br />

Greenwood, Lilian<br />

Griffith, Nia<br />

Gwynne, Andrew<br />

Hain, rh Mr Peter<br />

Hanson, rh Mr David<br />

Harman, rh Ms Harriet<br />

Harris, Mr Tom<br />

Havard, Mr Dai<br />

Healey, rh John<br />

Hendrick, Mark<br />

Hepburn, Mr Stephen<br />

Heyes, David<br />

Hillier, Meg<br />

Hilling, Julie<br />

Hodge, rh Margaret<br />

Hodgson, Mrs Sharon<br />

Hollobone, Mr Philip<br />

Hosie, Stewart<br />

Howarth, rh Mr George<br />

Hunt, Tristram<br />

Irranca-Davies, Huw<br />

James, Mrs Siân C.<br />

Jamieson, Cathy<br />

Johnson, rh Alan<br />

Johnson, Diana<br />

Jones, Graham<br />

Jones, Helen<br />

Jones, Mr Kevan<br />

Jones, Susan Elan<br />

Jowell, rh Tessa<br />

Joyce, Eric<br />

Kaufman, rh Sir Gerald<br />

Keeley, Barbara<br />

Keen, Alan<br />

Kendall, Liz

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