Armed Forces Bill

On a point of order, Mrs. Heal. We have some very quirky practices in the House, one of which has brought about the collapse of amendments to the Bill in Committee. A number of hon. Members wanted to table amendments, but because the House rose very early at about 1.30 pm on Thursday those amendments were not tabled and could not be selected. I wanted to table amendments on the Wednesday, but they needed to be tidied up and put in the right place. I had constituency duties on the Thursday morning, and by 2 o’clock, when I said that they were ready to be tabled, the House was not sitting so they could not be tabled. They are therefore not eligible to be considered, despite the fact that they are important amendments. I am particularly aggrieved by that, although I do not blame the Clerks—it is because of the quirky nature of this muddle. My amendments would have been tabled as starred amendments, so they would not have been selected, but they would have at least appeared on the amendment paper. I had five amendments, and I would have very much appreciated them being recorded in the official record. One of them, for example, said:"““Clause 50, page 22, line 7, at the end insert””—"