Business of the House: Suspension of Standing Orders (Hansard, 22 July 1993)

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

It may be helpful if I add a word of two of explanation. A Motion in similar terms is customarily moved near to the Summer Recess or near to the end of a Session. In this case, the Motion is required for three specific purposes. First, your Lorclships are to debate the Second Reading of the Finance Bill on 27th July. As the House will know, this House is not able to amend the Finance Bill. The purpose of the Motion is therefore to enable the remaining stages of the Finance Bill to be taken immediately after the Second Reading debate has been concluded on 27th July and for Royal Assent to be signified later that day.

Second, it is expected that the House will have before it the Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) (No. 2) Bill on Tuesday 27th July. As your Lordships are well aware, similar considerations apply to a Consolidated Fund Bill as to the Finance Bill. Again, the purpose of the Motion is therefore to enable the Consolidated Fund Bill to take all its stages on 27th July.

Third, the Committee stage of the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Bill is currently scheduled to be taken after the Motion relating to the Defence Estimates standing in the name of my noble friend Lord Cranborne. I understand that it is likely that no amendments will be tabled to the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Bill, and in this event it would, I think, be for the convenience of the House for the Committee to be discharged formally before the defence debate takes place.

Perhaps I could also assure the House that it is not intended to use this Motion for any other purpose than those which I have set out. Each of these purposes has been agreed with the usual channels and, in the case of the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Bill, with the sponsor of that Bill, my noble friend Lord Shrewsbury.

Moved, That Standing Order 38 (Arrangement of the Order Paper) and Standing Order 44 (No two stages of a Bill to be taken on one day) be suspended until the Summer Recess.—(Lord Wakeham.)