Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill

I am grateful to my right hon. and learned Friend. As he will know well, the issue of when papers or documents are laid before the House is, again, at the discretion of the Executive. Many a time, important measures—those in statutory instruments, for instance—have been laid before Parliament on the very day on which the House rises for a recess. My fear as regards treaties, given the provision on 21 days and all the rest of it, is that we will not appreciate what is happening. Just before the summer recess, no one—or only some of us, sometimes—is alert and alive to what is happening. In fact, on our expenses, I remember the redaction agreement that was reached on the Floor of the House of Commons; it was interpreted by the Secretary of State for Justice in such a way as to bring the House into disrepute. That statutory instrument was laid before the House on the very day on which Parliament rose for the summer. Perhaps I am conflating too many issues, including intent and the way in which the Government operate, but that is how they have operated.