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Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Modification) Order 2007

I am not hiding behind anything here. So far as the business managers in this House and the other place are concerned, there simply is no parliamentary time next week. I suspect that in a sovereign Parliament, where there is a will, there is a way, but the fact is that we do not want what is in effect a contingency measure to look like emergency reactive legislation. Further, there is no time in the parliamentary calendar next week to deal with this business. That is the best advice I have; in fact it is the only advice I have because there is no other answer. It would not be possible to deal with this order next week. The order has to go to the Privy Council, and that is where the problem arises. If I had known that in the first place, I could have said so. I am sorry; it is not the Privy Council. Again, the fact is that the business managers have said that there is no time available next week, and that is it.