Selection of the UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe — 16 Nov 2015 at 18:21

The majority of MPs voted to immediately adopt a system of electing the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe despite concerns elections could not be held in time for upcoming events. The majority of MPs rejected a proposal to make appointments straight away and then holding elections before January 2016.

MPs were debating a motion on how the UK Parliament selects its delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. That motion stated:

• That this House adopts with immediate effect the same system for nomination of its membership of the UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as it has for nomination, following party elections, of membership of departmental select committees, and accordingly directs the Speaker not to send the names of its membership of the UK delegation to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly until the nomination of that membership has taken place according to that system.

The amendment rejected in this vote was:

• leave out from “adopts” to end and add
• “henceforth a system for nomination of its membership of the UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe following a General Election reflecting that for nomination of membership of departmental select committees, namely that the House of Commons names be communicated to the Speaker following party elections involving a secret ballot (with each party to seek to reflect in its nominations the same gender representation as in its parliamentary membership, in order to comply with the rules of the Assembly), and for such names to be sent as now by the Speaker to the President of the Assembly; requires that the revised system be implemented in time for the delegation thus nominated to be able to attend the January 2016 part session of the Parliamentary Assembly; and in the interim authorises the Speaker to send now the names of the delegation as set out in the Written Statement of 3 November to the President of the Assembly in order to permit UK participation in the Assembly until then.”

A reason for the rejected proposal to make appointments to the assembly prior to elections was given during the debate by Roger Gale MP^[1]:

• If we do not submit our nomination in time for the Bureau, which will be held in Sofia on 26 November, and the Presidential Committee, which will approve committees on 27 November, none of the work that should take place during December and January will be able to take place

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• [1] Roger Gale MP (Conservative, North Thanet), Official Record, House of Commons, 16 November 2015

Debate in Parliament | Source |