Business of the House (Lisbon Treaty)

No, I will not—the hon. Gentleman must be deaf. The right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) alleged that there is not enough time to debate the substantive issues in the treaty. He backed that up with a raft of allegations and familiar scare stories—we have heard it all before. Let me take just a few examples. In relation to justice and home affairs, he said that the treaty will give Eurojust the right to launch prosecutions in this country. That is completely wrong—it will not have the power to initiate prosecutions. Eurojust is not a threat. In June, the Home Affairs Committee concluded in a report:"““Eurojust provides an excellent example of what can be done to build mutual trust between practitioners and through them Member States in one another’s systems. This kind of contact and practical co-operation is absolutely critical in enhancing trust and co-operation.””" But the right hon. Gentleman never lets the facts get in the way of a good story. He also alleged that we do not support the creation of a European public prosecutor. That is absolutely right—we do not. That is why we have ensured that we have retained unanimity, with a UK veto, on the creation of a European public prosecutor. If a smaller group of countries wishes to go ahead with that idea, it will not affect the United Kingdom unless we choose to opt in.