§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked the Lord Chancellor:
Whether, in the light of the opinion contained in the report of the European Commission of Human Rights of 20 October 1998 in McGonnell v. United Kingdom, he intends to make any changes in the composition of the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords so as to satisfy the requirements of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. [HL719]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)The commission has referred the case ofMcGonnell v. United Kingdom to the European Court of Human Rights for consideration. The Government will consider the court's decision on the case in due course and any relevance it may have for the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.