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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Over the 27 or 28 years that I have been a Member, I have seen the House pass some legislation in an hour-and-a-half procedure, sometimes at 1, 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, with barely any Members present, except for Northern Ireland Members. That is no way to deal with legislation. Some of these orders, even though they have might have two different elements, can be very important to the lives of people in Northern Ireland. Our business should not be treated in that way and I trust that the Minister’s undertaking, which I hope will be strengthened in his response, will soon be put in place if devolution does not occur in November.