§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR (LORD GARDINER)My Lords, on Thursday I have, with Her Majesty's permission, to go to the Netherlands, first, to sign on behalf of the United Kingdom the Convention on Enforcement of Judgments and the Convention on Civil Procedure; secondly, to deposit on behalf of the United Kingdom the instrument of ratification in respect of The Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents which the United Kingdom signed in November, 1965; and, thirdly, to fulfil a longstanding engagement to address the Anglo-Netherlands Society on the tendency towards unification of European law. I hope therefore that your Lordships will be good enough to excuse my absence from the Woolsack that afternoon.