§ 3.2 p.m.
§ Lord Aberdare rose to move from the Select Committee be agreed to.
§ The Report was as follows:
§ 1. HYBRID INSTRUMENTS
§ On the recommendation of the select Committee on the London Docklands Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) Order, the Committee have considered the procedure on Hybrid Instruments and in particular the terms of Private Business Standing Order 216.
763§ They recommend no change in the general procedure at this stage but will reconsider the matter if it appears that the proceedings on any further similar Orders before Select Committees are likely to be prolonged. They recommend, however, that the Standing Order should be amended to provide that the Chairman of Committees, and not a Lord of Appeal, should be Chairman of the Hybrid Instruments Committee. They also recommend that Private Business Standing Orders 216 and 216A should be amended to provide that a Report from the Chairman of Committees to the effect that all petitions against an Order have been withdrawn shall terminate hybrid proceedings on that Order.
§ 2. SELECT COMMITTEES: ABSENCE OF CHAIRMEN
§ The Committee have considered a problem which can arise in those Select Committees where the House has named the Chairman. When such a Chairman is absent, either through illness or for any other reason, the Committee, as a matter of strict procedure, is not entitled to choose a substitute Chairman and should therefore suspend its proceedings until the nominated Chairman is again available or until a substitute is appointed by the House. In practice, however, Committees have invariably chosen a substitute Chairman themselves.
§ The Committee recommend that this practice should be given proper sanction by the House and that Public Business Standing Order 60 and Private Business Standing Order 95 should be amended to provide that, in the absence of their nominated Chairman, Committees should have power to choose a substitute.
§ 3. PRINTING OF PERSONAL BILLS
§ The Committee have considered the requirement in Private Bill Standing Orders that Private Bills, including Personal Bills, should be printed. This requirement can impose considerable expenses on individuals promoting Personal Bills.
§ The Committee recommend therefore that the authorities of the House should enter into discussions with the House of Commons' authorities with a view to relaxing the requirement in the case of Personal Bills.
§ 4. RECORDING OF DIVISIONS
§ The Committee have considered the question of printing division lists in both the Minutes of Proceedings and the Journals of the House. They note that division lists are available in Hansard and they recommend, therefore, that the lists should be omitted from the Minutes of Proceedings from the beginning of next Session.
§ 5. INTRODUCTION OF LORDS OF APPEAL
§ The Committee have considered the practice with regard to the introduction of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary. At present such Lords are introduced at sittings for Public Business, except during the prorogation of Parliament when they may be introduced at a Judicial Sitting. The Committee consider that this should continue to be the usual practice. However, they recognise that there may be occasions when it is in the interest of the despatch of judicial business for such Lords to be introduced at a time when the House is in recess. Accordingly they recommend that in these circumstances, the option of introduction at a Judicial Sitting during a recess should be available.
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move the third Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. I apologise for so many Motions in my name. I think I need draw attention to only the first item, on hybrid instruments, because the House will recall that after the lengthy sitting of the Select Committee on the London Docklands (Development Corporation) Order, the matter was referred to the Procedure Committee to see if they considered whether some alteration might be necessary. There was a considerable discussion in the committee. The final recommendation is that no change should be made at present although the situation should be kept under review.
§ The reasons why the committee came to that decision were, first, that there was a considerable importance attached to the thorough investigation by a Select Committee on behalf of all those who are interested parties and, secondly, the importance to the committee itself of hearing witnesses, hearing them examined and cross-examined, before they came to their conclusion. It was felt that the occasions on 764 which there would be similar long drawn out committees were likely to be very rare, and in fact there is no reason why, within our present arrangements, it should not be possible to impose a time limit on proceedings, so for those reasons the Select Committee recommended that at present there should be no change in the standing orders. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Third Report from the Select Committee be agreed to.—(Lord Aberdare.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.