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Parliamentary Standards Bill

I respectfully share the view of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern. It would highly undesirable, not to say dangerous, to have an appeal system, of any sort, that went to any court, even the distinguished Privy Council. One would hope that the other place might feel it appropriate to create some system that met the particular problems raised so eloquently by the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours. If one reads the Bill, one can see that there will be occasions when people who come before the House of Commons under the Bill when it becomes law will feel that they have not been justly treated. However, that ought to be a matter for the other place, which ought to be able to create whatever system it feels appropriate to meet that real problem. We have rightly heard a great deal about the Human Rights Act and the European Convention. I remind the Committee that the principles of fairness and the rule of law pre-existed the Human Rights Act by many centuries.