HL Deb 19 July 1984 vol 454 cc1630-2
Lord Denham

My Lords, at a convenient moment after 3.30 this afternoon my noble friend Lord Cockfield will, with the leave of the House, repeat a Statement that is to be made in another place on film policy.

It may be for the convenience of the House if I announce that the Committee stage of the Ordnance Factories and Military Services Bill will be adjourned for dinner at approximately 7 p.m. for a short period, and that during this adjournment the Commons amendments to the Repatriation of Prisoners Bill will be considered.

It may also be for the convenience of your Lordships if I announce that, subject to the progress of business, it is proposed that the House should rise for the Summer Recess on Wednesday 1st August and return on Tuesday 16th October. The House will not now be sitting on Friday 27th July.

Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe

My Lords, I should like to ask the noble Lord the Chief Whip a question about the business arranged for 23rd July. The House has known for some time that a debate on the report of the EEC Select Committee on Agriculture and the Environment and on the report of the Science and Technology Committee on research into the same subjects had been arranged for 23rd July. It had been understood that, hopefully, Government business would be light on that day in order to allow a reasonable time for the debate.

We learn today that the Third Reading of the local government paving Bill has been put down for that day, so it is hardly likely to be a light occasion; and on that day there will almost certainly be Statements after a long weekend at such a time of national disarray. Is it not unfortunate that in those circumstances, and as the House is sitting until 1st August, no Government business should have been arranged for Friday, 27th July? Is it not unfortunate that the reports of two Select Committees of your Lordships' House, for which the Government are obliged to give us time, should be treated in this way?

Lord Denham

My Lords, I can assure the noble Baroness that absolutely no discourtesy was intended to two Select Committees of your Lordships' House, which are very highly respected in this House. I understand that for reasons of timing it was desirable that the debate on these two reports should be held in July rather than in some earlier month. As the noble Baroness, from her past experience, will remember, this makes it very much more difficult to give a congenial time to such an important debate.

I think that the noble Baroness is probably being unduly pessimistic. The calculation by my office is that the Third Reading of the London Government (Interim Provisions) Bill—

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

"London Government," my Lords?

Lord Denham

My Lords, that was a Freudian slip; I mean the Local Government (Interim Provisions) Bill. The estimation of my office is that this will take about three hours plus, in which case I think this double debate could be expected to come on between 6 and 7 o'clock. I do not think that this could be regarded as being very bad in July, if it can be arranged. Whereas I think the noble Baroness was being over-pessimistic, I hope that I am not being over-optimistic.

Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe

My Lords, I am sure the House will agree that the noble Lord must be being over-optimistic. There are bound to be amendments on Third Reading from all parts of the House. Lately, Third Readings have been taking much longer. I am sure there will also be Statements about the various national happenings. I know that serious discussions have taken place through the usual channels, and I do not accuse the noble Lord of discourtesy. Nobody knows better than I how difficult the arrangement of business is. Nevertheless, I think that the House has been treated rather badly over this.

Lord Denham

My Lords, I am of course always willing at any time to listen to representations from any quarter, and most of all from the noble Baroness the Deputy Chairman of Committees. Perhaps we could talk about this outside. I must remind the noble Baroness, although I am sure that she will need no reminding, that sometimes, in order to try to meet worries such as those that she has, one creates more difficulties because noble Lords have possibly made their arrangements and to "unstick" such arrangements causes more trouble. But, of course, I shall listen to anything that any noble Lord says to me about this outside the Chamber.