§ Viscount DavidsonMy Lords, before adjourning the House I should like to say a few, but very sincere, 1091 words of thanks to the staff of the House for the great support they have given your Lordships since the Easter Recess. It may not be customary to do so at this time of the year, but I am sure that noble Lords will agree that the past seven weeks have been especially onerous compared with similar periods during previous years.
We have had many late nights and that puts pressure on the Officers of the House, especially Black Rod and his team of Doorkeepers. In the enforced absence, due to illness, of the Clerk of the Parliaments, which we all regret, it has put pressure on the Clerks at the Table. It has also put pressure on the Hansard Reporters. They have all responded magnificently and I am sure that all noble Lords will agree that we owe them a great debt of gratitude.
However, in addition to all this, and as some noble Lords will have known to their cost, there was an outbreak of salmonella poisoning some three weeks ago. I do not believe that your Lordships will ever know the extent of the pressure which this put upon the Refreshment Department, but I can tell you that the staff responded so well that many noble Lords were unaware of the problems with which they had to cope. That illustrates just how well we are looked after by our staff. I should like especially to mention Mr. Bibbiani and Miss McWilliam, without whose 1092 initiative, improvisation and sheer hard work the whole operation of feeding Members of this House would have ground to a halt. I must point out that the other parties in the House, as well as the Cross-Benches, have naturally expressed a wish to be associated with those remarks. Therefore, on behalf of the whole House, I should like to extend to all our staff our special thanks.
Finally, to all of your Lordships and to our staff I wish a well-earned rest and hope that this short recess will enable all of us to recharge our batteries for the exciting days and nights which lie ahead.