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Business without Debate

Volume 727: debated on Wednesday 8 February 2023

Delegated Legislation

Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)),

Immigration

That the draft Authority to Carry Scheme and Civil Penalties Regulations 2023, which were laid before this House on 9 January, be approved.—(Stuart Anderson.)

Question agreed to.

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I notified the Speaker’s Office of my intention to make a point of order, and I thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to put this on the record. I seek clarification and direction on how to take this matter forward. Dáithí’s law relates to organ transplants. All political parties in Northern Ireland agree on the need for this lifesaving legislation. The only thing stopping it is a mechanism for introducing the legislation, due to the current impasse caused by the Northern Ireland protocol. The Government have taken two decisions in this House to bring forward legislation relating to Northern Ireland: on identify and language; and on the most liberal abortion legislation in Europe, despite the opposition of political parties in the Northern Ireland Executive. Dáithí’s law on organ transplants has nothing but support in Northern Ireland. I am therefore asking you, Mr Deputy Speaker, what I can do in this House to ask the Government to bring forward this legislation, through the precedent they have set on the two occasions I have mentioned, acknowledging that it will save lives. Dáithí’s law is endorsed by all the political parties in Northern Ireland and by the public will of the people.

While I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving notice of his point of order, it is a moot point. It is certainly not a matter for the Chair, and it is a moot point as to whether it is actually a point of order at all, in the sense that it does not arise from any matter that has been debated today. He has been here long enough to know that he will have an opportunity to raise the matter at business questions tomorrow, when the Leader of the House, who is responsible for Government business, will be in a position to respond to him.