§ 3.31 p.m.
§ The Lord ChancellorMy Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time.
This is the second consolidation Bill that has been brought before your Lordships this Session. It consolidates the legislation on European parliamentary elections, at present to be found, principally, in the European Parliamentary Elections Acts of 1978, 1993 and 1999.
The Bill is pure consolidation. It does not change the law on European parliamentary elections and, therefore, it does not raise any of the issues on this subject which have been of such interest to your Lordships in the past two Sessions.
The Government support the important work of the Law Commission and parliamentary counsel in ensuring that legislation is easy to find and easy to follow. I commend the latest results of their work to your Lordships. If your Lordships are content to give this Bill a Second Reading, it will be referred to the Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills in the usual way. I commend the Bill to the House.
Moved, That the Bill be now read a second time.—(The Lord Chancellor.)
§ Lord Mackay of ArdbrecknishMy Lords, perhaps I may intervene briefly to welcome consolidation in this matter. When noble Lords dealt with the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections Bill, leaving aside the merits—I should really say the "demerits"—of the Bill, one problem was that we were constantly having to refer back to other pieces of legislation. I welcome the fact that the legislation is to be consolidated so that when we come to amend it, to get rid of what proved to be a totally disastrous system of election to the European Parliament, the amendments will be much easier to follow than they would have been without consolidation.
§ Lord Harris of GreenwichMy Lords, I said that the noble Lord, Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish, would 1762 find it quite impossible to remain silent on this totally formal piece of parliamentary business. My comment does not relate to European legislation but to the Scotland Act on which the House had the good fortune to listen to the noble Lord, Lord Mackay, for many hours. Had it not been for the generosity of the Government and those sitting on these Benches, there would have been only one directly elected Member of the Scottish Parliament, a matter which he, no doubt, would like to recall when he makes his next speech on a consolidation Bill!
On Question, Bill read a second time, and referred to the Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills.