§ THE CHAIRMAN or 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. REGISTRATION OF INTERESTS
§ The Procedure Committee have decided to set up a Sub-Committee of five Lords to consider:—
- (1) the present practice of the House in regard to declaration of interest, as set out in the Companion;
- (2) how "interest" should be defined;
- (3) whether a register of interests should be established; and, if so, the form and extent of such a register;
§ 2. SHORT DEBATES
§ The Committee have reviewed the rules which govern Short Debates under Standing Order 35A and recommend that the rules contained in the Appendix to this Report should be substituted for those contained in their earlier Reports.
§ The Committee further draw attention to the inconvenience and disappointment which may be caused to those interested in the subject for debate when Motions already on the Order Paper are withdrawn. While the right of a Peer to withdraw his Motion is recognised, the Committee deprecate the practice of withdrawing Motions for Short Debate from the Order Paper, especially when this is done without leaving proper time for notice to be given for another subject for Short Debate in place of the subject withdrawn.
§ 3. PANEL OF DEPUTY CHAIRMEN
§ The Committee recommend that the names of Lords to serve on the panel of Deputy Chairmen of Committees should he proposed to the House by the Committee of Selection. In order to carry this recommendation into effect, amendments to Standing Order 61 will be required to extend the terms of reference of the Committee of Selection. The amendments are as follows:
490§ Standing Order 61
§
After paragraph 2, insert the following new paragraph—
(" (2) The Committee of Selection shall select and propose to the House the names of the panel of Lords to act as Deputy Chairmen of Committees for each Session".)
§ In paragraph 3, line 3, after ("on") insert ("the panel of Deputy Chairmen of Committees and on").
§ 4. SELECT COMMITTEES—RETIREMENT BY ROTATION
§ The Committee have considered the rules for retirement by rotation of members of Select Committees (set out in the First Report from the Procedure Committee, Session 1971/2). They consider that three Committees should for the time being be exempted from the operation of the retirement rule because of the nature of their work. These Committees are the Special Orders Committee and the Lords members of the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments which require a membership experienced in the scrutiny of delegated legislation, and the European Committees Committee, to which similar considerations apply. They recommend that after two years this exemption should be reconsidered.
§ 5. AMENDMENTS TO PRIVATE BILLS
§ The Committee have been informed that amendments made by the Unopposed Bill Committee to Private Bills are to be made readily available to Peers, by the placing of a list of amendments in the Printed Paper Office after the Committee have met. The Procedure Committee recommend that an appropriate reference to this procedure should be inserted in the next edition of the Campanian.