§ 2.51 p.m.
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, with the leave of the House, at a convenient moment after 3.30 p.m. my noble friend Lady Birk will be making a Statement on the Channel Tunnel. My noble friend the Leader of the House will now make a Statement on Business.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, with the leave of the House, I will make a Statement about Business. The House will have felt a deep sense of horror and outrage at the terrible events in Birmingham last Thursday and the latest explosions which took place in London last night. I know that the House will want to express its sympathy to those who have been bereaved or injured in these terrible incidents, and on behalf of the House I should like to express our sincere appreciation at the wonderful efforts by doctors 1238 and nurses, the police, firemen and members of the public, to mitigate the effects of these disasters. I do not think I need to recall the Home Secretary's Statement in another place yesterday, except to remind the House that he has proposed emergency legislation to combat terrorism. He hopes to introduce the Bill to-morrow and has said that he hopes it will pass through both Houses of Parliament and receive Royal Assent on Thursday. I suggest that the House can best deal with this emergency situation, while having a full opportunity to debate the provisions, as follows.
Another place will take all stages of the emergency Bill on Thursday. I shall put down to-night the necessary Motion to suspend Standing Orders so that we may take all stages on Thursday's Sitting also. It is likely that the Bill will not reach this House until late in the evening, and in order to give the House the fullest opportunity for debate my noble friend Lord Harris of Greenwich will put down a Motion,
To call attention to the Government's proposals announced by the Home Secretary for the prevention of terrorism in Great Britain.to be debated Thursday. At the end of that debate the House will, if necessary, adjourn during pleasure until the Bill is received from another place. I hope that the Bill will then be given a rapid passage. I hone the House will agree that Thursday's debate should concentrate on the nature of the powers in the terrorism legislation and should avoid a general discussion of the situation in Northern Ireland.There are one or two consequential changes to Business about which the House should be informed. The noble Viscount, Lord Brookeborough, has kindly a greed to withdraw his Unstarred Question on Thursday about the use of television by those advocating violence, and he will be able to raise this matter during the course of Thursday's debate. The noble Lord, Lord Clifford of Chudleigh, has been good enough to postpone the Second Reading of his Education (Amendment) Bill to next Tuesday, December 3, when the Affirmative Instruments on milk prices and tractor cabs will also be taken. Finally, I should say that dinners will be available on Thursday, and that dinners are also available 1239 to-night in the light of our long debate on economic affairs. I trust that these arrangements will meet with the wishes of your Lordships' House.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, we on this side of the House should like to associate ourselves with what the noble Lord the Leader of the House has said regarding the explosions in Birmingham and London, and those who have been concerned with helping the people involved. The noble Lord was good enough to have consultations about these proposals with the Opposition, and they have the full support of my noble friends and myself. We shall do what we can to co-operate. It is right that we should have a debate on this subject at a reasonable hour, and it seems to me that the proposal which the noble Lord the Leader of the House has made is a reasonable one. After that debate, I hope your Lordships will pass the Bill without any further discussion.
§ LORD BYERSMy Lords, from these Benches we wish to be associated with what the noble Lord the Leader of the House has said, particularly with his tributes to those who worked in Birmingham and London, and with the sympathy he expressed for the bereaved and injured. We regard this measure as a very important constitutional one and my noble friends will obviously want to comment upon it and question it. We will give every assistance that we can to get the measure through in the timetable which has been agreed through consultations. I hope that the House will accept that this is the right way of dealing with this matter.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I am grateful to both noble Lords. They have expressed what I believe are the wishes of your Lordships' House. On this side, we will do our best to meet any of the points that they feel should be raised in the debate.
§ LORD HAILSHAM OF SAINT MARYLEBONEMy Lords, would the noble Lord the Leader of the House bear in mind that it will be a great help to some of us if, as soon as the text of the proposed Bill is available, we can have it so that we can play a proper part in the debate on Thursday?
§ LORD SHEPHERDYes, my Lords. As soon as the Bill is introduced in another place and is available I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Printed Paper Office. From a procedural point of view, it would be open to noble Lords if they so wished, in moving Amendments to the Bill—because that would still be their right under any of our procedures—to hand in manuscript Amendments to the Table, and these will be circulated and dealt with in the normal way. We shall certainly see that copies of the Bill are available in the Printed Paper Office as soon as possible.
§ LORD ST. HELENSMy Lords, while recognising that in the debate on Thursday it would be wholly out of place to discuss the death penalty, may I ask the Government whether at a later date they will provide an opportunity for your Lordships to discuss the reintroduction of the death penalty for acts of terrorism?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I am grateful that the noble Lord feels that this Bill is not the right opportunity to consider what is a major and very difficult decision for Members on all sides of the House. Certainly, I recognise that there is deep disquiet in the country and in Parliament, and it would be right to provide an opportunity for such a debate. We need to consider capital punishment in the light of the advice which we can give and receive about its consequences in Northern Ireland and in this country. I hope the House will feel that we should not discuss this matter in the immediate aftermath of the situation in Birmingham. Having said that, I am always ready to have conversations through the usual channels to see ways and means by which the wishes of this House can be met.