Dear Constituent,

Thank you for your correspondence regarding the vote on the Fifth Report from the Committee of Privileges that took place yesterday.

Unfortunately I was representing the United Kingdom at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that was meeting in Strasbourg so I was unable to be in the House of Commons or take part in any of the votes that day.

The Council of Europe is one of the oldest and most important pan-European bodies of which the United Kingdom is a member and its Parliamentary Assembly is central to the workings of this international organisation. It is an honour to serve as one of the UK Parliament’s delegates and I rarely miss a session.

As the business of the House is usually determined only a week or so in advance, I had already committed to speaking in Strasbourg by the time it was announced that the report of the Committee of Privileges was to take place.

Thank you again for taking the time to write to me.

Yours,

EDWARD LEIGH MP