HL Deb 15 November 1984 vol 457 cc421-2

3.38 p.m.

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Aberdare)

My Lords, I beg to move the first Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.

Moved, That a Select Committee be appointed to consider Science and Technology and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following Lords be named of the Select Committee:—

That the Committee have power to appoint Sub-Committees and that such Sub-Committees have power to appoint their own Chairman;

That the Committees have power to co-opt any Lord for the purposes of serving on the Committee or any Sub-Committee;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the Committee and any Sub-Committee have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the Miniutes of Evidence taken before the Committee and any Sub-Committee from time to time be printed and, if the Committee think fit, be delivered out;

That the Committee and any Sub-Committee have power to appoint Specialist Advisers.—(Lord Aberdare.)

Lord Shinwell

My Lords, I hope that I may be excused for following up a matter that I raised yesterday when it seemed to me that the Leader of the House rebuked me for having suggested that we, in your Lordships' House, should not have a particular Select Committee. I raise the same issue this afternoon. It seems to me unnecessary to appoint a House of Lords Committee on Science and Technology even on the assumption that every one of its Members possesses expertise on the subject, although that may be going a bit too far. I do not, however, criticise any abilities that they possess.

Is it necessary to duplicate what is happening in the other place? After all, we are concerned about putting some guts, some substance, into what is called parliamentary democracy, and if there is a possibility of avoiding excessive interference with what is happening in the other place, or their interfering in what we are doing, would it not be better for them to come together occasionally to deal with important subjects of mutual concern to both Houses?

Lord Nugent of Guildford

My Lords, before my noble friend replies I should like to say that, having been co-opted to be a member of this committee for one Session, and having seen the quality of the noble Lords who take part there regularly, I believe they are fulfilling a special function of value to the House. In fact, the other House does not have a Select Committee on Science and Technology, so that in this respect our House is playing a particularly valuable part. The reports that have been produced in that committee have been of value to noble Lords on all sides, of value to Parliament generally and, I believe, to the scientific world outside. Therefore, this particular Select Committee does have a very special value which I am sure the noble Lord will recognise.

Viscount Whitelaw

My Lords, in answer to the noble Lord may I say that if I appeared to rebuke him it must simply have been the very bad language which I used—or not the bad language but the wrong language which I used—because I would never have the temerity at any time to rebuke the noble Lord, and I certainly had no intention of doing so. However, I was pointing out to him that, while I think he has a great deal of right on his side in general, and such duplication ought to be looked at very carefully—of course, we will do so—at the same time the particular case which he has mentioned is not one where, as my noble friend has pointed out, duplication actually takes place. So I think in general he may well have a case, but not on the particular point at issue. I think that perhaps is all square all round to us, and I do not think there was any rebuke.

Lord Shinwell

My Lords, I willingly express my gratitude to the noble Viscount the Leader of the House for that very excellent reply.

On Question, Motion agreed to.