HL Deb 28 March 1973 vol 340 cc1050-4

2.52 p.m.

THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF LISTOWEL)

My Lords, I beg to move that the Second Report from the Select Committee be now agreed to.

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

The Committee's Report was as follows:

1. POSTAL FACILITIES FOR PEERS The Committee recommend a modification of the rule governing the postage of Lords Hansard under the official frank from the Printed Paper Office to interested parties outside Parliament. The Committee recommend that in future any Peer may ask the Printed Paper Office to despatch by post under the official frank to addresses outside Parliament copies of Lords Hansard within the limits of that Lord's normal entitlement—that is to say, one copy if he himself has not spoken and up to six copies, if he has; with the proviso that the Lord making the request is responsible for addressing the envelope or wrapper in which the Hansard will be despatched.

2. SUB-COMMITTEE ON WORKS OF ART The Committee recommend that to enable the Sub-Committee to discharge its responsibilities more usefully its terms of reference should be revised as follows:

  1. (a) to recommend works of art for acquisition by purchase or loan for the House of Lords.
  2. (b) to examine works of art in the House of Lords and to recommend on their siting, repair and disposal.
  3. (c) to keep under review, and after consultation when appropriate with the Sub-Committee concerned, to decide on the choice of decoration and furnishing of the public rooms and other appropriate parts of the House of Lords including new construction, subject only to an obligation to refer major questions of policy to the Offices Committee for decision the choice of such questions to be within the discretion of the Chairman.
  4. (d) to report from time to time.
With power to co-opt further Lords and to appoint its own Chairman. The Chairman reported on the activities of the Sub-Committee.

3. SECURITY The Committee heard from Black Rod the precautions being taken to improve security and approved them.

4. SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATE 1972–73 The Committee were informed of the presentation of a Supplementary Estimate for the year 1972–73.

5. SUPERANNUATION The Committee were informed of the retirement on 1st April, 1973 of Mr. Reginald Walter Hill, O.B.E., the Chief Accountant after 44 years reckonable service and sanctioned the payment to him of the appropriate pension and lump sum under the 1972 Pension Scheme. The Committee expressed their appreciation of the manner in which he had carried out his duties and the valuable service he had given to the House. The Committee also sanctioned the payment of the following superannuation awards under the 1972 Pension Scheme:

  1. (a) Pension and lump sum to Mr. William Henry Langridge, Doorkeeper, who retired from 1st March, 1973;
  2. (b) Pension and lump sum to Mr. Jeffrey Robinson, Reporter, who resigned on 16th February, 1973;
  3. (c) Pension and lump sum to Mrs. Agnes Mary Wood, Housemaid, who retired from 24th December, 1972;
  4. (d) Pension and lump sum to Mrs. Ann Barker, Housemaid, who retired from 7th January, 1973; and
  5. (e) Short service payment to Mrs. Rose Ethel Southam, Housemaid, who retired from 28th January, 1973.

7. UNILORM ALLOWANCE FOR CLERKS AT THE TABLE AND BLACK ROD The Committee sanctioned the payment of a Uniform allowance to Clerks appointed to the Table and to the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod.

THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (EARL JELLICOE)

My Lords, I wonder whether I may just touch on one matter covered in the Report. Your Lordships may notice that at the top of page 3 of the Report there is a reference to the fact that Mr. Hill, our Accountant, will be retiring at the beginning of next month. He will be retiring after 44 years "reckonable service" (as the formula goes) to the House, during the last 16 of which he has been our Accountant. By anybody's reckoning that is a considerable period of service to your Lordships' House. I think we can count ourselves almost uniformly fortunate in the servants of the House. There are many who have been working here for a great many years, but I really rather doubt whether there are any who can claim to have given so long and so dedicated a service to the House as Mr. Hill has done.

During the years in which Mr. Hill has been our Accountant there has been a tremendous growth in the responsibilities of his office. There has been, for instance, the institution of the Peers' daily expense allowance. This takes up some of his time. There has been a tremendous expansion in the activity of the House as a whole, and there has been a really remarkable rise in the number of your Lordships attending in this House. All this has thrown a tremendous weight of responsibility upon Mr. Hill's shoulders. I think those of us who from time to time have had occasion to go to the Accountant's office will agree with me that we never fail to get helpful and friendly advice—and skilful advice—from that office, and I believe a great deal of this is due personally to Mr. Hill. I should like to take this opportunity, if I may, to express on behalf of the House as a whole our real appreciation to our retiring Accountant for his remarkable service to your Lordships' House.

May I just say in conclusion that I am glad to say we shall still see Mr. Hill from time to time around our House. The Clerk of the Parliaments has wisely decided that Mr. Hill's expertise in the field of judicial taxing should not be lost, and as a result of this wise decision Mr. Hill will be continuing to perform these functions (I am not quite certain what they are) for some time to come.

I am sure I am carrying the House with me in saying that I am certain your Lordships will all wish to express your very real appreciation of the services which Mr. Hill has rendered to us for a very considerable period of time, and I trust your Lordships will allow me to say that on your behalf.

LORD SHACKLETON

My Lords, the noble Earl has done full justice to one of our most valued servants, and I would first, echo his remarks that universally we are very well served by those who look after us. I think the noble Earl's statement has been received with complete agreement by the entire House, but also with a large measure of gloom among those noble Lords—and I suspect the majority—who find it almost impossible to complete their expense claims without the assistance of Mr. Hill. I am sure that the noble Lord, Lord Conesford, if he claims, can do it by himself, but most of us without the same clarity of thought have always turned to Mr. Hill. If I may say so, on the rare occasions when Mr. Hill has not been available it is worth pointing out that we get equal service and help from the members of his admirable office. It is a pleasure that he will be around, but we do all owe him a great debt of gratitude.

LORD AMULREE

My Lords, I should like to say a word on behalf of noble Lords on these Benches, to echo what the noble Earl and also the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition, have said. We have all found the services of Mr. Hill extremely helpful and friendly, and we wish him a happy time in his retirement.

THE LORD BISHOP OF CHESTER

My Lords, may I, from these Benches, add a word of tribute to Mr. Hill. I suppose the Lords Spiritual are among his most regular clients, and very often we discover from him days on which we did not realise that we had actually been sitting. We are always received with the greatest courtesy and understanding and he elucidates these very difficult problems for us. I know we would all, from these Benches, wish to add our thanks and our good wishes to him in his retirement.

THE EARL or LISTOWEL

My Lords, I am grateful to all the noble Lords and to the right reverend Prelate for what they have said about the services of Mr. Hill. The Committee expressed similar sentiments at their last meeting.

On Question, Motion agreed to.