§ Lord Reesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultation there will be before any further legislation on the reform of this House is introduced; and (a) who will be the parties to any such consultation; and (b) what terms of reference will govern such consultation. [HL138]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn)The Government will publish their proposals before introducing a Bill. It will therefore be open to anyone who wishes to comment on our proposals. We do not intend to repeat the extensive public consultation exercise of the Royal Commission chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Wakeham, but we shall of course ensure that the political parties have a full opportunity to make their views known. We do not see a role for a joint committee. As I told the House in the debate on the Address, our proposals will be based on the recommendations of the Royal Commission (21 June 2001, col. 110). We will consider carefully all representations made within this context, but we will not allow consultation to become an excuse for excessive delay.