§ 3.14 p.m.
§ The Chairman of Committees (Lord Boston of Faversham)My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.
Moved, That the First Report from the Select Committee be agreed to (HL Paper 20).—(The Chairman of Committees.)
§ Following is the report referred to:
§
COMMITTEES ON LEGISLATION OFF THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE
The Committee has conducted a further review of the procedures for committees on legislation off the floor of the House. As recommended by the Group on Sittings of the House (the Rippon Committee) in 1994, a number of procedures are now available. To avoid confusion and for the information of the House, we set out as an annex to this report a short description of each procedure, which will be included in the Companion to Standing Orders.
A year ago the Committee noted that in Session 1994–95 the House of Commons had implemented certain recommendations of the Committee on Sittings of the House (the Jopling Committee). As a result, the Commons had risen on average substantially earlier each day. With the more limited reform programme proposed by the Rippon Committee, the House of Lords had also risen earlier although the trend was less marked than in the Commons. In Session 1995–96 the House of Commons continued to rise earlier but the
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House of Lords sat for longer hours—on average for 6 hours 53 minutes each day compared to 6 hours 22 minutes in Session 1994–95—and there were 47 sittings after 10.30 pm compared to 33 such sittings in Session 1994–95.
We remind the House of our recommendation in 1994 (1st Report, 1994–95, HL 9) that "whenever possible business should be arranged so as to avoid the need for the House to sit beyond an agreed time, say 10 pm". We recognised then that a significant improvement in sitting hours could come only with general support throughout the House.
The Committee makes the following observations on the new procedures for committees off the floor:
- (1) The Special Public Bill Committee procedure was not used in Session 1995–96. We remain of the view that it provides a useful addition to the scrutiny function of the House. We will at our next meeting consider certain proposed changes to this procedure.
- (2) In 1995–96 five Bills committed to a Committee of the Whole House were considered in Committees in the Moses Room in which no divisions can be held. Some 25 hours were spent in committees on these Bills. This procedure, which allows all Lords to attend and participate fully, continues to prove successful for suitable Bills and generally popular with those members of the House who take part. In order to differentiate these committees from committees on the floor of the House, we recommend that they are in future described as Grand Committees.
- (3) No further experiment was held in Session 1995–96 of Informal Committees of interested members of the House. A further experiment might help to determine whether this informal method of proceeding should be retained.
- (4) Two experiments in Scottish Select Committees, whereby a committee with a fixed membership takes evidence in Scotland on a Government Bill relating to Scotland, were held in Session 1995–96. The Committee agreed to this experimental procedure in December 1995 (2nd Report, 1995–96, HL 15). A third Bill, the Transfer of Crofting Estates (Scotland) Bill, has been committed to such a committee this session. The two committees last session were well received by those taking part in the proceedings. We accordingly recommend that the procedure should be made permanent. It will remain an option available to the House for suitable Scottish Bills, and could be adopted for the consideration of Welsh Bills, if appropriate.