3. Interpretation of the Rules of Procedure

The President informed Parliament, pursuant to Rule 211(3), of the following interpretation of Rule 187, given by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, to which the matter had been referred.

'In the event that the seat of a full member of a committee falls vacant, a permanent substitute from the same political group shall be entitled to vote in place of the full member, on a temporary basis pending the provisional replacement of the full member in accordance with Rule 186(5), or, in the absence of such provisional replacement, pending the appointment of a new full member. Such entitlement is based on Parliament's decision concerning the numerical composition of the committee, and aims at ensuring that the number of members of the political group concerned who can take part in the vote is equal to the number entitled to do so before the seat fell vacant.'

If this interpretation was not contested by a political group or by at least 40 Members (Rule 211(4)) before the opening of the following day's sitting, Tuesday 11 December 2012, it would be deemed to have been adopted. Otherwise, the matter would be put to the vote in Parliament.