§ Lord Cope of Berkeleyasked the Leader of the House:
Why the statement made in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 20 April on "Northern Ireland (Belfast Agreement)" was entitled "The Irish Settlement" when repeated in the House of Lords. [HL1565]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Richard)The statement to which the noble Lord refers did not itself bear a title. In repeating the statement on 20 April, my noble friend Lord Dubs referred to "The Belfast Agreement" and made clear, in answer to a subsequent question, that it was "not yet a settlement" (H.L. Deb., col. 943). Procedures have been changed to ensure that, in future, there is no discrepancy between the short title used with regard to statements in each of the two Houses of Parliament.