§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the Lord Chancellor's attendance record for the last 36 months for(a) Committees of the House of Lords and (b) other non-Government bodies on which he sits. [30844]
§ Mr. WillsThe Lord Chancellor is an ex-officio member of two Committees of the House of Lords: the Offices Committee and the Procedure Committee. Since February 1999, the Lord Chancellor has attended two out of 15 meetings of the Offices Committee and three out of nine meetings of the Procedure Committee. In keeping with established practice, the Lord Chancellor is not expected to attend all the meetings of these Committees and will attend only those meetings where his participation is required.
The Lord Chancellor is an officer of, or a member of, the following bodies which could reasonably be described as 'non-Government':
- British-American Parliamentary Group, Joint President;
- Christ's College, Cambridge, Honorary Fellow;
- The Church Commission, Commissioner;
- Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Joint President;
- Friends of the Slade School of Fine Art, Committee Member;
- Hunterian Collection, Trustee;
- Industry and Parliament Trust, Joint President;
- Inner Temple, Bencher;
- Inn of Court of Northern Ireland, Honorary Bencher;
- Magistrates Association, President;
- The Polish Bar, Honorary Member;
- Society for Advanced Legal Studies, Honorary Fellow;
- US College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow; and
- World Mental Health Federation, Vice Patron
Details of the Lord Chancellor's attendance at meetings of those bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost