Member

The noble Baroness, Lady Stowell, raised the timeline set out by the Secretary of State, which was also mentioned by other noble Lords. She expects to receive a derogation request within three weeks, and noble Lords raised what they think should happen if this is not met. I am not privy to the Secretary of State’s thinking on this because, as has been noted in the debate, it is a quasi-judicial process for her alone to decide. She is aware of this debate, however, and I will highlight to her the points made by noble Lords. What I can do is provide reassurance that she will continue to monitor developments very closely and consider any new acquisition in line with the three principles she set out in her Written Ministerial Statement. She will update Parliament on this matter as appropriate at the earliest opportunity.