6. Interpretation of the Rules of Procedure

The President informed the House, under Rule 211(3), of the following interpretation of Rule 202(5), provided by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, which had been consulted on the application of that provision:

'Fact-finding visits and the reports on those visits are aimed solely at providing the Committee with the requisite information to enable it to consider the petition further. Such reports are drafted under the exclusive responsibility of the participants in the visit, who shall seek to reach a consensus. Failing such a consensus, the report must set out the divergent findings of fact or assessments. The report is submitted to the Committee for its approval by a single vote, unless the Chair declares, where appropriate, that amendments may be tabled to parts of the report. Rule 52 does not apply to these reports, either directly or mutatis mutandis. In the absence of approval by the Committee, reports shall not be forwarded to the President.'

If this interpretation was not contested by a political group or by at least 40 Members, in accordance with Rule 211(4), before the opening of the following day's sitting, Tuesday 10 December 2013, it would be deemed to have been adopted. Otherwise, the matter would be put to the vote in Parliament.