To ask the Lord President of the Council how many prayers relating to statutory instruments which have been tabled during the current Session have not so far been debated either on the Floor of the House or in Committee and how many of these undebated prayers have been the subject of representations seeking that they should be debated, including representations by letter and by means of a business question.
Up to and including Tuesday 5 June 1990, 127 prayers relating to statutory instruments had been tabled this Session. (This total does not include motions to similar effect relating to S.I.s and other laid papers, eg motions for disapproval, withdrawal, revocation or that drafts be not made in the form submitted.) Fourteen instruments with prayers against them have been debated on the Floor of the House, and 11 have been debated in Standing Committee. Two revocation motions relating to previously prayed against instruments have been taken on the Floor of the House, one such instrument has been debated in Standing Committee and one stands referred to a Committee. (In addition, one instrument stands referred to a Standing Committee under a revocation motion and a business motion, although it had not previously been prayed against.)It is not possible separately to identify how many undebated prayers have been the subject of representations without incurring disproportionate costs.