HL Deb 11 March 1985 vol 461 cc56-7

6.8 p.m.

Lord Denham

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I should like to make a short business statement. It has been agreed through the usual channels that the debate in the name of my noble friend Lord Home of the Hirsel should not now be taken this Wednesday but should be taken instead on Monday, 22nd April. The Second Reading of the Representation of the People Bill will now be postponed from tomorrow until Wednesday, and this is likely to be followed by two Unstarred Questions. I apologise to the House for any inconvenience that this change of business may cause, but I feel sure that your Lordships will appreciate the circumstances.

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for advising your Lordships so quickly of the proposed change of business for this Wednesday. I am sure that in the circumstances the decision to postpone the debate in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Home of the Hirsel, to the later date in April is the right decision. It obviously leaves a problem as to what business the House is to discuss on Wednesday. I think that the proposed Unstarred Questions, which are likely to be tabled for Wednesday, being tabled at such very short notice will mean that many noble Lords will not have notice of the subjects to be discussed in those Unstarred Questions; this may well mean that we shall not have as satisfactory a debate on the matters to be raised as might have been the case had they been discussed on another occasion.

Lord Tordoff

My Lords, I should like to join with the noble Lord, Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, in thanking the Government for coming to the House so quickly with their decision. It is clearly proper that the debate should be postponed and the noble Lord, Lord Home of the Hirsel, is to be thanked by all sides for his acquiescence in this unfortunate situation. One can only hope that by the 22nd of next month certain happenings will have emerged in the Soviet Union which might make the debate even more useful than it would have been on Wednesday.

With regard to the matter of the Unstarred Questions, I do not think that we on these Benches have any difficulty over them. However, I can well understand that other Members of the House may well have difficulty. I fear that this is just one of the facts of life with which we are faced—that at the end of the day an Unstarred Question is an Unstarred Question. If people other than the questioner and the Minister wish to join in, of course we always welcome their participation; but it is a Question asked of the Minister to which he will respond. Therefore, we may have to go ahead with the Unstarred Questions rather than have a complete day off.

Lord Denham

My Lords, I am most grateful to the two noble Lords opposite. Although I cannot give the actual wording of the Unstarred Questions, it might be for the convenience of the House if I mention the subjects with which the actual Unstarred Questions are likely to deal. One Unstarred Question is in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Ezra, and is on what success is being achieved in the establishment of an effective internal market within the European Community. The other is in the name of my noble friend Lord Bethell and is on a meeting of human rights experts in Ottawa in May within the framework of the Helsinki Agreement. I hope that both these Unstarred Questions may be tabled by the time the House rises tonight.

Lord Morris

My Lords, will my noble friend consider requesting those asking the two Unstarred Questions to change the Unstarred Questions to Motions on short debates of two and a half hours a piece?

Lord Denham

My Lords, the two noble Lords very kindly volunteered to bring their Unstarred Questions forward to this time. I believe that one Unstarred Question already had a date and the other was on a No Day Named. I believe that it would be a change in the normal procedure to change these Unstarred Questions to Motions for debate.