§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Mackay of Clashfern)My Lords, I am pleased to confirm what the Leader of the House said about the consultation process. This has resulted in the recommendations that Mr. Michael Davies should succeed Mr. Wheeler-Booth as Clerk Assistant and that Mr. Paul Hayter should succeed Mr. Davies as Reading Clerk. It is proposed that these appointments should take effect in the New Year following Sir John Sainty's retirement, and I shall be inviting the House to approve the necessary Motions nearer the time.
§ Lord Cledwyn of PenrhosMy Lords, we are grateful to the noble Lord the Leader of the House and to the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor for making those announcements. I note that we shall be given an opportunity to pay a proper tribute to Sir John Sainty at a later date, and we look forward to doing that.
In the meantime, we thank the Leader of the House for the way he has conducted the consultation procedures. The noble Lord, Lord Jenkins of Hillhead, who apologises for his absence, has asked me to say that he wishes to be associated with those thanks.