HL Deb 21 October 1999 vol 605 cc1354-5
Lord Carter

My Lords, as consideration on the Greater London Authority Bill has now been concluded a little earlier than we expected, I think the general feeling of the House is that we should go straight on with the Unstarred Question. As the Question is being taken at the end of business, it is no longer restricted to the one hour that would have been allowed in the dinner break. A one-and-a-half hour limit now applies. That does not affect the time allowed for the noble Lord, Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld, or my noble friend Lady Ramsay of Cartvale, but it increases the time available for all other speakers from four minutes to seven minutes. However, if noble Lords have prepared four minute speeches and would prefer to avoid the inconvenience of extending them at such short notice, I am sure there will be no objection.