HL Deb 18 December 1974 vol 355 cc1166-7
The CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF LISTOWEL)

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

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

The Committee's Report was as follows:

1. ROTATION RULE The Committee have considered the working of the rules for the retirement by rotation of members of Select Committees (set out in the First Report from the Procedure Committee, Session 1971/2). They recommend:—

  1. (a)That a Lord who has been a member of a Committee for more than three years due to his holding one of the posts exempted from the rotation rule, and then resigns that post, should be subject to the retirement rule.
  2. (b)That the Lord Great Chamberlain should be an ex officio member of the Offices Committee.
  3. (c) That the rotation rule should apply to the members of the Standing Orders (Private Bills) Committee.
  4. (d) That the post of Deputy Chairman of Committees should be added to the posts exempted from the rotation rule.

2. LORDS' EXPENSES

The Committee recommend that, in future, the arrangements for the reimbursement of Lords' expenses should be supervised by a Select Committee of the House rather than by the Committee of the Whips, a body which derives no authority from the House itself. They recommend that the Leave of Absence Committee should have its terms of reference extended, to enable them to undertake this supervision as follows: "That a Select Committee be appointed for the general supervision, of arrangements relating to Leave of Absence and the reimbursement of Lords' expenses."

3. AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC BILLS

The Committee have considered the practice of the House whereby the number of names of Lords printed in support of an amendment is limited to four. On occasion the sponsor of a Bill, whether a Minister or a private member, finds that an amendment which he would like to support appears in the names of four other Lords. In such a case, there is no way in which the sponsor of the Bill can show on the Marshalled List that he supports the amendment. The Committee recommended that the practice should be changed so that the Lord in charge of a Bill should always be able to add his name to an amendment and that the Companion should be amended to this effect.

4. APPELLATIONS: FORMER ARCHBISHOPS OR BISHOPS

The Committee recommended that former Archbishops or Bishops who are created Lords should be referred to in debate as "The Noble and Right Reverend Lord".

On Question, Motion agreed to.