The phrase "ability to debate" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing someone's skill or competence in engaging in discussions or arguments on various topics.
Example: "Her ability to debate complex issues makes her an excellent candidate for the position of team leader."
Alternatives: "skill in debating" or "capacity for debate."
Most charities have internal vested interests, which limit their ability to debate key issues in the external world, more than the Lobbying Act ever will.
We sacrifice the ability to debate problems and policies; peaceful solutions to a society's problems become elusive, making conflict more likely.
And now I find out – thanks to Boris Johnson's latest pronouncement – that what I should have been doing for all those years was not developing a well-honed mind and the ability to debate jurisprudential quandaries (in French).
The provision eliminating the ban was initially included in a broader Pentagon policy bill, and Republican backers of repeal had refused to join in cutting off a filibuster against the underlying bill because of objections over the ability to debate the measure.
We make laws to protect against specific incitement and certain types of hate speech, but otherwise our ability to debate broader ideas – no matter how abhorrent we believe them to be – is what separates us from the apes.
The upshot of the election was that parliament's already half-assed ability to debate drugs was curtailed even further.
The feud over the Islamic center highlights America's ability to peacefully debate a contentious religious issue, said a State Department spokesman, P. J. Crowley.
Since our members were denied the ability to meaningfully debate or amend the resolution, we now look to the Committee to quickly adopt rules that ensure that our Democratic members are able to participate fully in the investigation.
By stripping Congress of its ability to fully debate and amend the language of today's all-encompassing trade pacts, fast-track authority renders Congress unable to ensure that trade negotiations result in agreements that benefit communities and the environment.
They felt a new ability to reasonably debate with third parties regarding fall prevention (t2).
Claudia Pascual, Chile's minister of women's affairs, accused the church of "impeding the ability to have a space to debate".
