§ Read 3a.
§ Lord MELCHETTMy Lords, I beg to move that the Bill do now pass.
§ Moved, That the Bill do now pass.—(Lord Melchett.)
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, I welcome the passage of this Bill, remembering that it puts into effect the recommendations of Mr. Speaker's Conference 759 and gives to Northern Ireland, as nearly as can be calculated, the correct representation in another place, taking into account the rest of the United Kingdom. I say this only because our previous proceedings on the Bill occurred rather a long time ago, and I wanted to make it perfectly clear that this Bill has the enthusiastic support of this side of the House.
§ Lord MELCHETTMy Lords, may I respond by thanking the noble Lord and his colleagues for their assistance in getting the Bill through this House in very good time and by placing it on the record that the Bill has been introduced for the reasons which the Government have made clear on a number of occasions. Following the decisions that were taken on devolution to Scotland and Wales, clearly it was impossible any longer to justify Northern Ireland's having far more people per constituency than other constituencies in the United Kingdom have. Having had the opportunity in the last day or two to read some of the recent debates in another place and to see the attitude which the Official Unionists have adopted both to myself and to my right honourable and honourable colleagues, I shall be interested to see whether the Press predictions are right: that once this Bill is passed some kind of pact which the Government are alleged to have made with the Unionists will come to an end, whether they will start opposing what we are doing, and what effect that will have when one considers how opposed they appear to be to the Government's policies. I am very grateful to the noble Lord for his help in getting the Bill through.
§ On Question, Bill passed.