Speaker’s Rulings — Urgent Debates—Updated Procedure for Applications

I would, however, like to advise the House of updated procedures for applying for an urgent debate. Speakers’ ruling 198/4 requires that the written notice required under Standing Order 399 must be handed to a member of the Speaker’s staff. In practice, most applications are emailed to my office. Notices that are emailed will be treated the same way as hand-delivered ones. Notices should be signed by the member making the application, but I will accept a notice sent from the member’s email address, or sent from another parliamentary address if it contains a statement that the application was authorised by the member or by another member on their behalf. That aligns the practice for urgent debates with the practice for lodging questions or notices of motion.