HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICES

HL Deb 01 December 1971 vol 326 cc268-72

2.50 p.m.

THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF LISTOWEL)

My Lords, I beg to move that the First Report from the Select Committee on House of Lords Offices be now considered.

Moved, That the First Report from the Select Committee on House of Lords Offices be now considered.—(The Earl of Listowel.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

The Committee's Report was as follows:

1. APPOINTMENT OF SUB-COMMITTEES
(a) Administration. The Administration Committee was appointed as follows:
E. Listowel (Chairman),	L. Denham
M. Salisbury,	B. Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe,
E. St. Aldwyn,	L. Henley,
L. Amulree,	B. Phillips,
L. Beswick,	L. Nugent of Guildford,
L. Brooke of Cumnor,	L. Strang:
L. Champion,

with the Clerk of the Parliaments.
With power to co-opt further Lords.
(b) Library. The Sub-Committee on the Library was appointed as follows:
L. Amulree,	L. Chorley,
L. Carrington,	L. Reid:
L. Champion,
with the Clerk of the Parliaments.

With power to co-opt further Lords and to appoint its own Chairman.
(c) Refreshment Department. The Sub-Committee on the Refreshment Department was appointed as follows:
E. St. Aldwyn,	L. Champion,
V. Goschen,	B. Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe,
L. Amulree,	L. Nugent of Guildford,
L. Beswick,	L. Sainsbury,
B. Brooke of Ystradfellte,	L. Strang:
with the Clerk of the Parliaments.

With power to co-opt further Lords and to appoint its own Chairman.
(d) House of Lords Estimates. The Sub-Committee on the Estimates was appointed as follows:
with the Clerk of the Parliaments.
E. Listowel (Chairman),	L. Amulree,
E. St. Aldwyn,	L. Beswick:
with the Clerk of the Parliaments.

(e) Works of Art:
M. Cholmondeley,	L. Henley,
L. Amulree,	V. Hood:
with the Clerk of the Parliaments.
With power to co-opt further Lords and to appoint its own Chairman.

2. PALACE OF WESTMINSTER SECURITY

A Report on Security was made to the Committee by the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod.

3. PARLIAMENT OFFICE

1. (a)The Clerk of the Parliaments informed the Committee of the appointment of Mr. Michael Graham Pownall as a Clerk in the Parliament Office from the 11th October 1971.
2. (b)The Committee authorised the provision of wigs and gowns and accessories to be worn by those called upon to sit at the Table of the House in accordance with the Order of the House of 9th November 1971.
3. (c) The Committee sanctioned the regrading of certain posts in the Parliament Office and authorised the rates of pay for these posts.

4. HANSARD REPORTING STAFF

1. (a) The Committee authorised the continuation of the payment of attendance fees to the Hansard Editorial Staff when the House of Lords sits after 10.30 p.m.
2. (b) The Committee authorised an increase in the payment for transcription work done by Palantype Organisation Limited with retrospective effect from the 1st January 1971.

5. ESTIMATES

The Estimate for the House of Lords for 1972–73 was laid before the Committee and approved.

6. SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATE 1971–72

The Committee were informed of the presentation of a Supplementary Estimate for the year 1971–72.

The Committee authorised the payment of expenses to be incurred in connection with Select Committees.

7. REVISED RATES OF PAY

The Committee sanctioned the application of D.E.O. (71) (Conditions of Service) No. 8 dated 23rd August 1971—Responsibility and Related Allowances—with effect from the 1st January 1971 to applicable staff of the House of Lords.

8. SUPERANNUATION

The Committee sanctioned the payment of the following superannuation awards under the Superannuation Act 1965:—

1. (a)Pension and Additional Allowance to Mr. S. C. Ireland, O.B.E., former Editor of Debates, on his final retirement on 1st January 1972. The Committee instructed the Clerk of the Parliaments to convey to Mr. Ireland their warns appreciation of his long and valuable service.
2. (b)Revised Pension and Additional Allowance to Sir Kenneth L. Mackintosh, K.C.V.O., who retired on the 1st April 1971.
3. (c) Transfer Value to the Greater London Council in respect of the service of Mrs. Barbara Joan Matthewman, with the House of Lords, under the Superannuation (Transfers between the Civil Service and Local Government) Rules 1950 and 1955.

9. MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE: GENERAL INFORMATION

The Committee recommend that the grey booklet: "Lords Spiritual and Temporal: General Information", hitherto printed for the use of the Staff of the House, be made generally available to peers in the Printed Paper Office and the Library.

THE EARL OF LISTOWEL

My Lords, I beg to move that this Report be now agreed to.

Moved, That the Report be agreed to.—(The Earl of Listowel.)

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, before we agree to the Lord Chairman's Motion, as I am sure we shall do, may I make one comment which may be considered in order either on paragraph 8, which deals with the retirement of Mr. Ireland, or paragraph 4, which deals with the late working of the Hansard staff. I understand that it is in fact 27 years ago to the day, December I, that Mr. Ireland joined the Hansard reporting team, and I think it right that we should call attention to the service which he has rendered. Noble Lords may also be interested in the fact that on the Hansard staff there are four other members each of whom has over 25 years' service, and there are two others with 24½ years' service each, so that seven out of the staff of 18 have almost 25 years' service or over. As one who has worked in the position of Government Chief Whip, I know a little about the trouble that we give to the staff, and I think we might take the opportunity of paying a tribute not only to their professional skill but also to their immense forbearance with our foibles.

LORD AMULREE

My Lords, I should very much like to support what the noble Lord. Lord Beswick, has said. The work of the Hansard staff is sometimes really too good to be true. They work very hard and accurately, and what we should do if they were not here I do now know. I think that Mr. Ireland has been a tower of strength and a great help to us.

LORD LEATHERLAND

My Lords, as perhaps the only one of your Lordships who has been able to write shorthand at the rate—

SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS

Order, order!

EARL ST. ALDWYN

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Beswick, for having raised this matter. I am sure that the whole House will fully support what he and the noble Lord, Lord Amulree, have said. Those of us who have known Mr. Ireland for a long time have always found him a most cooperative and helpful man. We wish him a very happy retirement, but I hope he will come and see us often.

LORD LEATHERLAND

My Lords, I was only about to say that as perhaps the only one of your Lordships who has ever been able to write shorthand at the rate of 240 words a minute, I should like to pay my tribute to the excellent standard of performance which we receive from our shorthand writers in this House.

THE EARL OF LISTOWEL

My Lords, I am sure that the Committee, as well as the House, will be most grateful to all the noble Lords who have spoken and whose remarks will be keenly appreciated.

On Question, Motion agreed to.