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Business

Volume 702: debated on Wednesday 25 June 2008

My Lords, with the leave of the House, we will have two Statements repeated this afternoon. In a moment, my noble friend Lord McKenzie of Luton will repeat a Statement entitled “HM Revenue and Customs”, and at a convenient point around 7 pm, my noble friend Lord Davies of Oldham will repeat the second Statement entitled “Pitt Report on Flooding”. The statutory instruments scheduled for the dinner break will follow straight on from the second Statement, and the Committee stage of the Education and Skills Bill will resume as soon as the debates on the instruments are finished.

If the House will indulge me further, I have been conscious of late of the commotion after Question Time which makes it very difficult for whoever is speaking to be heard. Therefore, I take this opportunity respectfully to remind noble Lords of Standing Order 20, which states that Members,

“are to keep dignity and order, and not to remove out of their places without just cause, to the hindrance of others that sit near them, and the disorder of the House”.

The Companion to the Standing Orders indicates that this rule applies to Members not moving about the Chamber while a Question is being put from the Woolsack and to leaving the Chamber quietly at the end of Question Time.