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House of Lords: Financial Support for Members

My Lords, I am not often accompanied by a kind of Red Indian greeting. I shall take advantage of the opportunity. I wish to follow in the recent steps of the noble Lords, Lord Nickson and Lord Barnett. It is desirable that we identify a path which, for the reasons aired in the debate so far, some of them deeply moving and highly persuasive—for example, the speeches made by my noble friend Lord Crickhowell and the noble Lord, Lord Peston—makes it plain that the structure and design in the report are not the right framework in which we should try to go forward. I do not want that to be regarded as a dismissal of the efforts of those who got us to this position. The extent to which the Front Bench leaders, most notably led by the Leader of the House, have been working together to try to find a solution for this House, as a House, is to be welcomed, as it has been welcomed. One of the mishaps that has struck the other place is an increasing pattern of competitive sneaking, with counter allegation matched by counter allegation, instead of a coming together. We should count ourselves lucky that our leaders have reached that point. The content of the report has been discussed in great detail, and many flaws have been identified. They make it difficult, if not impossible, to regard the framework as the right one in which to proceed. Even if it is not mentioned in the resolution, there is no reason why the ad hoc group should not be invited to examine the way forward, starting from the report, without being obliged to accept the framework. There is a developing, articulate insight in to the kind of things that ought to be achieved. If we look at the proposals in a little detail, the suggestion of integrating the daily fee with secretarial and office allowances is complicated and would be difficult to operate. The SSRB identified an element of income in the current arrangements, an income component that is very imperfectly defined and only halfway there. That does not take us anywhere. One recognises some changes proposed on top of that. The SSRB offers a vision of a future that at first takes the form of a transition, leading to taxation of those allowances next and an elevation of the cost of the entire exercise in order to make taxation possible. That is an absurd, circular contradiction in terms. I do not think that anyone will be delighted to see a shadowy transition period in which one of the elements is the arrival of further reform of this House, wherever that may take us. It is a transition of indefinite length in which it is plain that changes will be made to make more resources available from the taxpayer without any changes being made in the inadequacy of what is proposed in other respects. That is not an acceptable way forward. Without looking at it in great detail, the overnight allowance is admitted at the outset to involve a substantial reduction in its value. My noble kinswoman and I share the same dwelling most of the time, and it is a relief to find that the single allowance that we share 50:50 between us will be increased by thirty-three and a third per cent. Indeed, it is exhilarating. This really is not an effective way of tackling this. I am avoiding the uncomfortable task of trying to offer my own prescription in great detail, and suggest instead that we should not wish to see Members of this House denounced en masse because we have contented ourselves with moaning and whining and with moving stories that are only half idiomatic, or because we have occasionally found moments of good humour in this debate. We understand the seriousness of the position and the need to put together not just a structure but a way ahead that takes account of the points and speeches that have already been made. I am prepared to accept with some enthusiasm the inspirational idea of the noble Lord, Lord Barnett, that my noble friend Lord Wakeham might chair the ad hoc committee. My noble friend and I have worked together in many ad hoc situations, and I have found no better "ad hoccer" than him, so I underwrite what has so far been proposed. Let us avoid being compelled to accept the resolution before us, but let us recognise that the SSRB has tried to identify some components with which they agree, although so far not enough, and recognise above all that our leaders of the parties are trying to maintain a unified approach by this House to find the best way of preserving our reputation and getting the right financial outcome. That is the destination that I commend to the House. Heaven knows what we will vote for and against, but I hope that we are all getting the same idea.