St David's Day row updated
The annual House of Commons debate on Welsh affairs - a Westminster institution for more than half a century - looks more uncertain today.
Yesterday I reported how a change in parliamentary procedure meant its fate would be decided by the backbench business committee.
Plaid Cymru parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd and former Welsh secretary Paul Murphy asked the committee to schedule a Welsh debate in March.
Today the committee has responded: "As the Committee mentioned during the session, we do not yet have any firm dates for future backbench days. The Committee has therefore deferred making a decision on scheduling business for the next backbench day until it has a clearer idea of the days which will be made available.
"We will keep your application on record until that time and, unless there is anything further you wish to add, you do not need to appear before the Committee again."
Frustration then for Messrs Murphy and Llwyd, amid fears that the annual debate could be downgraded to Westminster Hall, the Commons' second chamber.
Hello. I'm David Cornock and I'm parliamentary correspondent for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Wales. This is the blog for the latest news and gossip from the Westminster village - with a Welsh accent.
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