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Business of the House (Lisbon Treaty)

Thank you for that guidance, Madam Deputy Speaker. As I hope I have been making clear, I strongly support the Government’s proposed timetable. I deplore the nature of much of this debate, as it serves to compound the serious problem of public disengagement from our parliamentary processes. I look forward to there being a better debate—which will be facilitated by this timetable—on the substance of the Lisbon treaty, which I strongly support. I urge Members, and especially my hon. Friends, to support the Government motion.