Urgent Debates Declined — GCSB—Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security’s Report

I have received a letter from Dr Kennedy Graham seeking to debate under Standing Order 389 the report of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security into the Government Communications Security Bureau’s process for the determining of foreign intelligence activity. The report was released yesterday. This is a particular case of recent occurrence that involves ministerial responsibility.

Successive Speakers have held that it is for the member making the application to make out a case for the urgent debate. It is not for the Speaker to discover one, and I refer members to Speakers’ ruling 206/4—Speakers Hunt and Smith. On the information presented to me, I am not persuaded that the matter requires the urgent attention of the House; it is a matter that could be raised in the general debate today. The application is therefore declined.