Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker on how many occasions, and when, the Leave of Absence Sub-Committee has declined to recommend that leave of absence be granted.

Applications for Leave of Absence are submitted to the Clerk of the Parliaments, who accepts all applications that comply with the requirements set out in Standing Order 21. It has never been the practice to consult the Leave of Absence Sub-Committee on individual applications, and minutes of the Sub-Committee’s meetings show that it has never declined to recommend that leave of absence be granted.