Procedure of the House: Select Committee Report (Hansard, 10 July 1996)

§ The Chairman of Committees (Lord Boston of Faversham)
My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.
As your Lordships will see from the report before the House, the Procedure Committee thought it right to draw attention to three matters of procedure where the conventions of the House have not always been followed in recent times.
Under Item 1, the committee reminds the House of the guidance set out in the Companion to the Standing Orders concerning supplementary questions. It draws particular attention to the guidance that supplementary questions should not be read.
Under Item 2, the committee reminds the House that it is undesirable to refer to strangers, whether in the public gallery or in any other part of the Chamber.
Finally, under Item 3, the committee points to the guidance in the Companion about the ways in which the Members of the House should be referred to in debate. They should not be addressed directly, nor should they be addressed as "you". I commend the report to the House.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, that was a most valuable contribution. I hope that my noble friend on the Front Bench will emphasise the intention of the Government to enforce the advice that is being given by the Procedure Committee. In particular, my noble friend did not refer to the very important line in the report: We draw particular attention to the guidance that supplementary questions should not be read". Will my noble friend do all he can to enforce that extremely valuable recommendation?

§ The Chairman of Committees
My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord. In answer to his final point, I must confess that I had hoped that that was precisely what I was seeking to do just now. But just to give him the additional reassurance that he clearly seeks, I shall continue to try to do my best to encourage those of your Lordships who are not as punctilious as the noble Lord in following the rules of procedure of the House to do so.
I thank the noble Lord for his opening remarks; and I would like to say that both I and the Procedure Committee of this House are indebted to the noble Lord, Lord Gisborough, and others who raised the point with the committee about supplementary questions being read. I am also grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Brabazon of Tara, who raised the point about strangers.
So far as the remaining point is concerned, perhaps that is not a matter for me to answer. It is probably safe to say that that, too, is a matter on which those concerned would seek to do their best.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, who is supposed to give tuition to new Members, and indeed to Whips, on both sides of the House about how to address the House? I have noticed that people in quite senior positions in the House make mistakes in this area.

§ The Chairman of Committees
My Lords, with the leave of the House, in answer to the first part of the noble Baroness's question, since in this House we have beneficially and admirably a collective form of order, the responsibility lies upon all of us. However, I know, and other noble Lords will be able to confirm, that the Clerk of the Parliaments is assiduous in briefing newcomers to this House and in particular draws to their attention the Standing Orders of the House and the Companion to the Standing Orders. After that, he cannot sit there while new Members read them. It is up to new Members to obtain copies—indeed, I believe that they are provided with them—and so far as is possible learn them, or certainly read them and try to digest them.
Others who might consider that they have a duty here as well are those who are invariably helpful; that is, the usual channels.

§ Lord McIntosh of Haringey
My Lords, ought we not to follow the example of the driving test and have an examination, including multiple choice questions?

§ The Chairman of Committees
My Lords, with the leave of the House, the noble Lord poses an impossible question for me. I do not know whether that would be a suitable way of doing things at all, bearing in mind that when I took my driving test I failed it the first time.

§ Lord Harmar-Nicholls
My Lords, in order to understand in detail the full effects of the report, was my noble friend Lord Boyd-Carpenter in order or not in reading part of his supplementary question?

§ The Chairman of Committees
My Lords, I must confess that I did not notice that.

§ Lord Donaldson of Kingsbridge
My Lords, has the noble Lord observed that Members on his Front Bench, when confronted with a question from behind, tend to turn round and address the answer there instead of addressing the House?

§ The Chairman of Committees
My Lords, again with the leave of the House, with respect, that is perfectly correct. It is an approach that we should certainly follow.
Perhaps I may say a word on the last question on the report from the noble Lord, Lord Harmar-Nicholls. In defence of the noble Lord, Lord Boyd-Carpenter, strictly speaking the question on the report put to me by the noble Lord, Lord Boyd-Carpenter, was not a supplementary question to a Starred Question.