HL Deb 16 March 1995 vol 562 c54WA
Lord Williams

of Elvel asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether officials in the Department of the Environment have been helping Members of the House other than the Viscount Ullswater, the Earl Howe and the Earl of Lindsay to draft amendments to the Environment Bill; and, if so, whether this is proper use of civil service time and taxpayers' money.

Viscount Ullswater:

Officials routinely support Ministers on the handling of non-Government amendments, including with matters of drafting where Ministers wish to put proposals to another member. However, officials have not provided any assistance with drafting direct to Members of the House other than Ministers with respect to the Environment Bill.

Correction

In the first supplementary question asked by Lord Callaghan of Cardiff on his Private Notice Question on Nigeria reported at col. 851 of the Official Report for Wednesday 15 March, the words "constitutional government" which appear at line 4 should read "Constitutional Conference".