EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE (Hansard, 7 May 1974)

HL Deb 07 May 1974 vol 351 cc369-70 369

§ THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF LISTOWEL)
My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Moved, That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection (Third Report,) Lords following be named of the Committee:

E. Dudley,
E. Lauderdale,
E. Selkirk,
L. Bethell,
L. Champion,
L. Diamond (Chairman),
L. Drumalbyn,
B. Emmet of Amberley,
L. Fulton,
L. Hale,
L. Hill of Luton,
L. Lloyd of Hampstead,
L. Lloyd of Kilgerran,
L. Mais,
L. Rhodes,
B. Serota,
L. Walston.—(The Earl of Listowel.)

§ LORD LEATHERLAND
My Lords, may I ask the noble Earl how many members of the Liberal Party are on this suggested Committee? According to my calculations it is only one.

§ THE EARL OF LISTOWEL
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Leatherland, is 370 entirely correct. One member of the Liberal Party is proposed as a member of this Committee.

§ LORD LEATHERLAND
My Lords, is not that very unfair? The Liberal Party, we have heard from time to time, won over 6 million votes at the General Election and is therefore to be considered as one of the great Parties of the State. Were the Liberal Party invited to submit only one name, or are they now so disinterested in the Common Market that they submitted only one name?

§ LORD BYERS
My Lords, I should like to assure the noble Lord, Lord Leatherland, that, although we are not necessarily totally happy with our representation, we have not even in this House a sufficient number of Members in relation to the votes which were cast for the House of Commons in the recent Election. When we have as many Peers as has the noble Lord's Party, then of course we shall be able to increase our representation on the Committee. But I would say that in my noble friend Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran we have one who is equal to any other three on the Committee.

§ On Question, Motion agreed to.