Business of the House (Lisbon Treaty)

I have given way to the hon. Member for Stone and other hon. Members on perhaps a couple of dozen occasions, so I am now going to make some progress. The Government hope and expect that there will be a chance to debate the policy and issues as comprehensively as possible, drawing in a range of contributions from both sides of the House. There will also be a shorter time allocated afterwards on the technical amendments, which will benefit from the context of the wider discussion during the debate. The Business of the House motion, as I have already said, allows the proportion of time on a given day to be altered. I am happy to give the undertaking that we will consider suggestions put forward today and subsequently about the balance of time allotted, within the parameters set out in the motion.