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Black Rod

My Lords, perhaps I could say a final word in tribute, focusing particularly on Black Rod’s responsibilities for security. When I came into post Sir Michael came to see me and was extremely deferential and polite. He then informed me that when he needed to see me, he would see me and I would be there. With that relationship, we have continued, in perfect harmony. Sir Michael has been particularly valuable to this House because the advice he has given on security issues, at a time when that advice was of crucial importance, has always been professional, as one would expect from his history, and his assessment of risk and of the measures to obviate that risk has been of the highest quality. However, that has always been tempered by an understanding of and commitment to the need for this place, this Parliament, to be accessible to staff, to Members and above all to the public whom we serve. For that I have the highest gratitude. We will miss him. He has left his particular responsibilities in exceptionally good order. That, together with our limited knowledge of his successor, which tells me that Sir Frederick will very quickly become Freddie on non-official occasions, means that we owe him an even greater debt of gratitude.