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Debate on bill and Committee of the Whole House (HC) on Wednesday, 19 April 2006, in the House of Commons.

Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. Programme motion (No 2) on proceedings in Committee. Committee stage first day. Clauses 1 to 7 agreed to. Clauses 10 to 12 disagreed to.

Secondary information

Type
Parliamentary proceeding
Reference
445 c132-99 
Session
2005-06
Department
Northern Ireland Office
Legislative stage
Committee stage
Procedure
Programme motions
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Related items
Proceeding contributions
Lord Deben | 445 c176 (Link to this contribution) There is nothing in the Bill to say that that would have to happen. The Prime Minister refused to an...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c176 (Link to this contribution) I hope that what I say helps the hon. Gentleman because I know that he is trying to be helpful. If t...
Show all contributions (219)
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c176-7 (Link to this contribution) I understand the point that the right hon. Gentleman makes, but simply say to him that a public inte...
Lady Hermon | 445 c175 (Link to this contribution) The Minister laboured the point that political parties did not object during the consultation proces...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c175 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire, who is the only Liberal Democrat Member in the...
Lord Cormack | 445 c176 (Link to this contribution) Presumably, the chief electoral officer did not see the Bill before the House of Commons, so the con...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c175-6 (Link to this contribution) I recall that the comments of the chief electoral officer indicated that he was happy with the packa...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c177 (Link to this contribution) I am trying to be helpful to all hon. Members. The provisions would be used in extremis. In normal c...
Sammy Wilson | 445 c177 (Link to this contribution) The Minister is doing his best to try to find reasons why the Secretary of State may refuse to allow...
Mark Durkan | 445 c177 (Link to this contribution) The Minister is talking about the independence of the chief electoral officer, yet there are provisi...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c178 (Link to this contribution) I recognise the hon. Gentleman’s point. On a number of decisions I have not had the confidence of al...
Lord Cormack | 445 c178 (Link to this contribution) None of those things may happen, although they are possibilities. The Minister may rule out my right...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c177-8 (Link to this contribution) I am in danger of repeating my arguments. I am simply saying to all right hon. and hon. Members that...
Lembit Opik | 445 c170-1 (Link to this contribution) As the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) pointed out, this is something that we have covere...
Mark Durkan | 445 c169-70 (Link to this contribution) The Minister will obviously be aware from the previous debate that there is real suspicion and conce...
Lembit Opik | 445 c171 (Link to this contribution) That would not be modest for me.
Lord Cormack | 445 c171 (Link to this contribution) A few years ago, there was a great deal of debate in the House about what were called Henry VIII cla...
Lord Deben | 445 c171-2 (Link to this contribution) : Does my hon. Friend agree that, prima facie, the public interest in the north of Ireland should be...
Lord Cormack | 445 c171 (Link to this contribution) I can assure the hon. Gentleman that it is modest where I live. We all know from the property colum...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c172-3 (Link to this contribution) : I have listened with interest to the remarks of the hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Sir Patri...
Lord Cormack | 445 c172 (Link to this contribution) I agree completely. I have said many times during my time as Chairman of the Select Committee on Nor...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c173 (Link to this contribution) I again thank hon. Members for their contributions in highlighting the issue before us. However, I h...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c173-4 (Link to this contribution) I am afraid that, again, I will have to disappoint hon. Members. Points have been raised in the Hou...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c173 (Link to this contribution) It may have escaped the Minister’s attention, but he has named virtually everyone who has taken part...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c173 (Link to this contribution) Yes, again. I am very sorry to disappoint the hon. Member for South Antrim (Dr. McCrea) again—[Inter...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c174 (Link to this contribution) Surely the right hon. Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer) should also be told that the Benches ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c174 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for that contribution. If the right hon. Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer) had ...
Lord Deben | 445 c174 (Link to this contribution) Does the Minister accept that every person who has spoken on this issue has made the same clear poin...
Lembit Opik | 445 c174-5 (Link to this contribution) I am sorry, but the Minister cannot get away with this. He is living in the recent past, when appare...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c174 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for what the hon. Gentleman has said, but the previous debate and this debate have ess...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c174 (Link to this contribution) This set of amendments is intended not to remove the role of the Secretary of State, but to define t...
Lembit Opik | 445 c160-1 (Link to this contribution) The fact that this discussion has continued for nearly half an hour gives a good clue to the fact th...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c159 (Link to this contribution) Again, should the Secretary of State determine to do that, a statutory instrument, which would come ...
Lord Cormack | 445 c159-60 (Link to this contribution) The Minister is making a valiant effort but failing. Can he not understand that the confidence of th...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c160 (Link to this contribution) Again, I have tried to explain in detail why the power for the Secretary of State is needed. I will ...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c160 (Link to this contribution) Before the Minister finishes, will he deal with the question of a five-year rather than a 10-year pe...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c158-9 (Link to this contribution) Again, we are straying into later clauses and amendments, but the Secretary of State has an overridi...
Lembit Opik | 445 c159 (Link to this contribution) I might have been digging earlier, but I see a hole developing next to the Minister. There is now an...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c159 (Link to this contribution) For whatever reason, the Secretary of State might determine that on financial grounds. [Hon. Members...
David Lidington | 445 c159 (Link to this contribution) Surely, in those or other circumstances that we cannot foresee, it would be open to a future Secreta...
Lady Hermon | 445 c167-8 (Link to this contribution) I shall address my remarks to my amendment No. 27. I remind the Minister that just over a month ago,...
Lord Deben | 445 c167 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that it is essential to aim for normality, in Northern Ireland even more t...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c166 (Link to this contribution) With this, it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments: No. 27, in clause 3, page 2, ...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c166-7 (Link to this contribution) These amendments are similar to the ones in the previous group, and it was perhaps unfortunate that ...
Lady Hermon | 445 c162 (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for that attempt to clarify the issue, but he was able to give only one example...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c166 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 13, in clause 3, page 2, line 37, at end insert— "‘(2A) For the purpose...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c162 (Link to this contribution) I used that as one example, because we are talking about 1.7 million people. There may be many relat...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c161 (Link to this contribution) I am always grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s help. I know that he has my best interests at heart, a...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c155 (Link to this contribution) I hope that I can reassure the hon. Gentleman by pointing out that the Secretary of State remains ac...
Sammy Wilson | 445 c155 (Link to this contribution) The Minister has indicated that the electoral officer could have an extra canvass as and when he saw...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c155-6 (Link to this contribution) Again, that may be one of the issues that the Secretary of State determines is in the overriding pub...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c156 (Link to this contribution) I remind hon. Members that the amendments that we are discussing relate to the timing of the canvass...
Lord Cormack | 445 c156 (Link to this contribution) On a point of order, Mrs. Heal. I make the following suggestion as I think that it may help the Comm...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c156 (Link to this contribution) I understand what the hon. Gentleman says, and I know that he has much experience in Standing Commit...
Eddie McGrady | 445 c156 (Link to this contribution) I do not want to repeat the various points that have already been made. Surely, the essence of what ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c155 (Link to this contribution) I understand the concern of the hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Sir Patrick Cormack) and I shal...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c155 (Link to this contribution) Going back to the previous point, the Minister said that the Secretary of State could override the d...
Lord Cormack | 445 c158 (Link to this contribution) But the point is that the Secretary of State has the overriding power. I hope that this will not be ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c158 (Link to this contribution) Again, I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point, but I think that there is a disagreement between us....
Lord Cormack | 445 c157 (Link to this contribution) The fact is that we do not. There is the option, but no fixed 2010 date. If there were such a date, ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c157-8 (Link to this contribution) There is an honest disagreement between us on this matter. If the hon. Gentleman looks again at clau...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c158 (Link to this contribution) If the chief electoral officer has a duty in relation to favouring a canvass, why should the Secreta...
Mark Durkan | 445 c158 (Link to this contribution) The Minister has asked us to place some reliance on clause 3(1)(a). If we consider clause 3(3), howe...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c158 (Link to this contribution) Again, if the Government had wished to have a 10-year canvass in the first instance, we would not ha...
Lord Cormack | 445 c157 (Link to this contribution) As there is such disquiet in all parts of the Committee—all the Northern Ireland parties that partic...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c157 (Link to this contribution) I take the hon. Gentleman’s point, but I ask him to look again at proposed new subsection (2) in cla...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c156-7 (Link to this contribution) The points that my hon. Friend mentioned are certainly important, but I am again in danger of strayi...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c155 (Link to this contribution) That is absolutely right. It would be more appropriate to deal with the matter under the next group ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c154-5 (Link to this contribution) I shall just finish the point. It would be a brave Secretary of State who went against the recommend...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c154 (Link to this contribution) I appreciate that. Clause 3 provides for the Secretary of State to be satisfied that conducting such...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c155 (Link to this contribution) I am happy to pursue this discussion, but the next group of amendments deals with the matter, and it...
Lord Cormack | 445 c155 (Link to this contribution) That brings us back to the pro-consular point that I made earlier. I am not casting aspersions, but ...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c154 (Link to this contribution) If the chief electoral officer believed that such a canvass were essential, could the Secretary of S...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c154 (Link to this contribution) I should like to finish the point. Clause 4 contains clear registration objectives that place cond...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c153-4 (Link to this contribution) I hope that I shall be able to reassure hon. Members on these matters. The integrity of the ballot i...
Sammy Wilson | 445 c154 (Link to this contribution) The Minister accepts that it might be necessary to have a canvass in 2010, given that the next one w...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c153 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention, and I wholeheartedly agree with the case that he has m...
Peter Robinson | 445 c153 (Link to this contribution) : I suspect that the Minister will tell us that we are not moving from compiling a register based on...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c153 (Link to this contribution) Yes, I accept that. The hon. Gentleman makes a powerful point. The Minister should think very hard b...
Lord Cormack | 445 c153 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman agree that neither the Secretary of State nor the registration officer shoul...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c152-3 (Link to this contribution) Thank you, Mrs. Heal, and I thank the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik) for trying, but ...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c152 (Link to this contribution) Order. I understand the hon. Gentleman’s need to explain, but this is rather long for an interventio...
Lembit Opik | 445 c152 (Link to this contribution) I recognise that the SDLP, the DUP and the Conservatives are all ganging up against my four-year pro...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c151-2 (Link to this contribution) I think that it is accepted throughout this House that it is important to encourage every person who...
Lady Hermon | 445 c147 (Link to this contribution) I beg your pardon, Sir Alan. My copy of the selection list was obscured. In fact, I wish to speak to...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c147 (Link to this contribution) Order. May I advise the hon. Lady that amendment No. 27 is in a different group of amendments and ca...
Lady Hermon | 445 c146-7 (Link to this contribution) I am delighted that the right hon. Member for North Antrim enjoys such good health and am sure that ...
Lord Bannside | 445 c146 (Link to this contribution) I did not know that she claimed to be a priest—[Laughter.]
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c146 (Link to this contribution) Order. I think that the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) might have discovered how a little ...
Lady Hermon | 445 c146 (Link to this contribution) I say, ““Bless you,”” anyway.
Lady Hermon | 445 c146 (Link to this contribution) Thank you again, Sir Alan—[Interruption.] And bless you, to the right hon. Member for North Antrim (...
Lord Cormack | 445 c146 (Link to this contribution) He does not believe in women priests.
Lady Hermon | 445 c145 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 26, in page 2, line 24, leave out from ‘2010’ to end of line 26.
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c145-6 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments: No. 2, in page 2, line 27, lea...
Lord Cormack | 445 c149-50 (Link to this contribution) In a brief contribution, I want to reinforce some of the points made by previous speakers. Earlier ...
Mark Durkan | 445 c150 (Link to this contribution) As other hon. Members have said, we welcome the move away from the annual canvass. That particular p...
Gregory Campbell | 445 c150-1 (Link to this contribution) To reinforce the hon. Gentleman’s point, figures show that in Northern Ireland people change house e...
Mark Durkan | 445 c151 (Link to this contribution) I thank the hon. Gentleman for reinforcing the point that 10 years would be too much, particularly d...
Lord Cormack | 445 c147 (Link to this contribution) For the sake of clarity, if the canvass is to be held every fifth year it is not an annual canvass b...
Lady Hermon | 445 c147 (Link to this contribution) I am enormously grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that piece of wisdom. I urge the Minister to get...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c147-8 (Link to this contribution) Briefly, I wish to make two points about the amendments that we have tabled. For the sake of clarifi...
Lembit Opik | 445 c138 (Link to this contribution) Thank you, Sir Alan, for your patience earlier. I have now literally collected my thoughts and have ...
Lord Cormack | 445 c136-8 (Link to this contribution) I associate myself with the remarks of the hon. Members for North Down (Lady Hermon) and for Belfast...
Lembit Opik | 445 c138-9 (Link to this contribution) The Minister can give a more complete answer later, but it is a bit of a moot point anyway. The core...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c138 (Link to this contribution) The DCA’s consultation is ongoing, and the NIO has not yet undertaken a consultation. I shall refer ...
Mark Durkan | 445 c139 (Link to this contribution) I want to take this opportunity to inform hon. Members that we have a lot of sympathy for the spirit...
Lord Cormack | 445 c141 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for his typically courteous response to this brief debate. Will he tou...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c140-1 (Link to this contribution) I thank Members for the fair points that they have raised. They demand an answer from the Government...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c141-2 (Link to this contribution) I understand perfectly well the situation in which the hon. Gentleman found himself last June. It is...
Lady Hermon | 445 c143 (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister address one issue that has not come out at all in the debate this afternoon? The s...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c142-3 (Link to this contribution) I hope that the hon. Gentleman will reflect on the fact that during my tenure in this job, I have tr...
Lembit Opik | 445 c142 (Link to this contribution) The Minister’s words are laudable, but does he not see that the Government have created a rod for th...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c144 (Link to this contribution) The criteria for anonymous registration and the way in which that will be implemented will be a matt...
Peter Robinson | 445 c143-4 (Link to this contribution) The Minister confused me slightly when he responded to the intervention made by the hon. Member for ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c143 (Link to this contribution) I hope that the hon. Gentleman will be aware that when we considered the last modification order—ind...
Lord Cormack | 445 c143 (Link to this contribution) The Minister has dealt very adequately with this particular prospective Order in Council, but I rais...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c144 (Link to this contribution) I hoped that I had dealt with that point earlier, but I will try to assist the hon. Gentleman’s reco...
Lady Hermon | 445 c144-5 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for his extensive response to my points. I am not entirely persuaded o...
Lady Hermon | 445 c132-3 (Link to this contribution) On Second Reading, which was not so long ago—13 March—the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland as...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c132 (Link to this contribution) With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: No. 24, in page 1, line 13, leave out subs...
Lady Hermon | 445 c132 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 23, in page 1, line 5, leave out subsection (1).
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c134 (Link to this contribution) Order. It would be helpful if hon. Members would indicate unambiguously that they wish to catch my e...
Lady Hermon | 445 c134 (Link to this contribution) It is a slight exaggeration, I agree, but I am being generous this afternoon. I wonder whether the ...
Lady Hermon | 445 c134 (Link to this contribution) I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that contribution, which, of course, makes perfect sens...
Lembit Opik | 445 c133-4 (Link to this contribution) I very much agree with the hon. Lady that the use of Orders in Council is being increasingly abused ...
Lady Hermon | 445 c135 (Link to this contribution) Let me clarify the point. In my final remarks, I urged the Minister to ensure that clause 10 of the ...
Peter Robinson | 445 c134-5 (Link to this contribution) I shall attempt to filibuster to assist the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik). I follow...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c134 (Link to this contribution) We must hope that the debate extends long enough for the hon. Gentleman to be adequately prepared.
Lembit Opik | 445 c134 (Link to this contribution) On a point of order, Sir Alan. I am currently note-wise compromised. I want to check something that ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c189 (Link to this contribution) I did not overrule the chief electoral officer in that instance; I hope that that helps to meet the ...
Lord Cormack | 445 c189 (Link to this contribution) What about the public interest?
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c189-90 (Link to this contribution) Individuals are allowed to register as normal, with the usual registration qualifications—the three ...
Lord Dodds of Duncairn | 445 c189 (Link to this contribution) We welcome the extension of the period for late registration. Many people realise that they need to ...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c190 (Link to this contribution) Order. At this stage the hon. Lady must be more than minded. Does she wish the Committee to agree to...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 445 c190 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for his comments. However, the proposed modification seems reasonable....
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c190 (Link to this contribution) We now come to clauses 10, 11 and 12. In view of the notice given and the close relationship among t...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 445 c190 (Link to this contribution) Yes, Sir Alan. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c190 (Link to this contribution) Order. If I may help the Minister, the correct procedure would be to vote against the clauses standi...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c189 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising the issue. Again, however, I am bowing to the will of the...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c187 (Link to this contribution) I shall be very brief. We have looked at the new clause and have some sympathy with it, as we were n...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c188 (Link to this contribution) I remind the Minister that we accepted clause 2 only on the basis that our amendments to clause 3 wo...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c188 (Link to this contribution) I accept the hon. Gentleman’s logic about voter contact, but the Committee—with, for once, the unani...
Lembit Opik | 445 c188 (Link to this contribution) The Minister said that the provisions in the new clause would provide no real benefit for electoral ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c187-8 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt) for making it clear that she will withdr...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 445 c189 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move amendment No. 4, in page 5, leave out lines 17 to 24. I shall not withdraw this amend...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c188-9 (Link to this contribution) Order. The hon. Lady cannot withdraw a new clause that she has not yet moved, and in the light of wh...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 445 c188 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for his clear and appropriate response, although I cannot agree that o...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c188 (Link to this contribution) I assure the hon. Gentleman that I am not trying to stir up opposition; I am simply making the point...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c186-7 (Link to this contribution) With this, it will be convenient to discuss new clause 2—Maintenance of the registers: Northern Irel...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 445 c187 (Link to this contribution) The new clause deals with voter registration. In the absence of an annual canvass, it proposes that ...
Lord Deben | 445 c182 (Link to this contribution) Before my hon. Friend loses the image of the secretary of a club, may I ask what kind of man would b...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c182-3 (Link to this contribution) It should be a high-grade, responsible job. The objectives of maintaining an accurate register are c...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c182 (Link to this contribution) It is not a low-grade job, but an extremely important job that is vital to the democracy of Northern...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c181-2 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. I return to the point I made earlier. The chief electoral o...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c182 (Link to this contribution) Where I come from, a street would be more appropriate. In any club that is owned by its members, th...
Lembit Opik | 445 c181 (Link to this contribution) If we are honest, should we not admit that we have got ourselves into this mess because the Minister...
Lord Cormack | 445 c181 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend has teased out of the Minister an admission that is frankly horrifying. The chief ele...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c181 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is absolutely correct.
Laurence Robertson | 445 c181 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that observation. I do not want to put words into his mouth,...
Mark Durkan | 445 c181 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, when we look at the totality of the Bill, we see that the chief ...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c180-1 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for clarifying that the chief electoral officer’s recommendation need ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c180 (Link to this contribution) I should like to clarify the matter for the hon. Gentleman. The chief electoral officer may make his...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c180 (Link to this contribution) We have had another prolonged debate on an interesting subject, and I should like to run through one...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c180 (Link to this contribution) As ever, the hon. Gentleman makes a good parliamentary point. That type of discussion might well hav...
Lord Cormack | 445 c179-80 (Link to this contribution) Having listened to what has been said, particularly by Northern Ireland Members from all parties rep...
Lord Dodds of Duncairn | 445 c179 (Link to this contribution) To sum up the Minister’s position, he seems to be saying that if a recommendation from the chief ele...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c179 (Link to this contribution) In the consultation, we outlined how the electoral officer’s role will be undertaken when we discuss...
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown | 445 c178-9 (Link to this contribution) The Minister has put it on the record that nobody raised the matter in the consultation, but parliam...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c178 (Link to this contribution) I agree with the hon. Gentleman. In extremis, the Secretary of State may find reasons to take that a...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c178 (Link to this contribution) In many hours of debate with the Minister, he has never failed to give way, and I appreciate his cou...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c179 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. I am sure that that is an alternative sce...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c190-1 (Link to this contribution) As I say, Sir Alan, I find myself in an unusual position. It is not one in which I have found myself...
Jeffrey M Donaldson | 445 c191 (Link to this contribution) I will give the Minister time to read his notes. Will he explain to the Committee in precisely what ...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c191-2 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising that issue. He will know that there are a range of r...
Lady Hermon | 445 c192 (Link to this contribution) Can the Minister assure the House that the Government were not brought under any pressure whatsoever...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c192 (Link to this contribution) I am sorry, but I could not quite hear the hon. Lady’s point.
Lady Hermon | 445 c192 (Link to this contribution) I am quite happy to repeat what I said. I want a clear assurance from the Minister that the Governme...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c192 (Link to this contribution) The situation has changed dramatically. The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and the Irish Gov...
Lady Hermon | 445 c192-3 (Link to this contribution) I am most grateful to the Minister for giving me a reply to a question that I did not ask. May I jus...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c193 (Link to this contribution) I am certainly not aware of any pressure on those matters and the situation has changed politically....
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c193-4 (Link to this contribution) I respect the hon. Gentleman’s viewpoint, but the Government are not making it up as they go along. ...
Mark Durkan | 445 c194 (Link to this contribution) We would love to take great comfort in the journey that these three clauses have made from being nec...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c193 (Link to this contribution) I say to the hon. Gentleman that the Government’s objective is to ensure that we get devolution back...
Lord Dodds of Duncairn | 445 c193 (Link to this contribution) Could not people including Members of the House easily take the view that the Government are making ...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 445 c195 (Link to this contribution) We are glad to support the Government’s proposal because we were worried about setting the election ...
Lady Hermon | 445 c196 (Link to this contribution) I will keep my remarks brief—[Interruption.] With provocation from the hon. Member for East Londonde...
David Lidington | 445 c194-5 (Link to this contribution) I am tempted to express the hope that the Minister’s speech is the first of many occasions on which,...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c196 (Link to this contribution) I give the hon. Lady a full assurance that the purpose of the provision is not to anticipate failure...
Lady Hermon | 445 c196-7 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister for his helpful intervention. If we had the wisdom of knowing the con...
Lady Hermon | 445 c197 (Link to this contribution) I am enormously grateful to the hon. Gentleman for reminding me of that election result. The Prime M...
Lord Bannside | 445 c197 (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Lady think, looking back on what happened in Northern Ireland, that a fear of election...
Chair of Committees of the Whole House | 445 c197 (Link to this contribution) Order. It might be helpful to the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) if I point out that the c...
Lady Hermon | 445 c197 (Link to this contribution) You will definitely be on my Christmas card list, Sir Alan, for bailing me out so effectively. This...
Lord Dodds of Duncairn | 445 c197 (Link to this contribution) : I have a great deal of sympathy for the hon. Lady’s view about not making the date of a democratic...
Sammy Wilson | 445 c197-8 (Link to this contribution) : Now I understand why the Minister dug in his heels on the earlier clauses in this Bill. Once again...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c198 (Link to this contribution) When I listen, I get criticised; when I do not listen, I get criticised. Is that the duty of a North...
Sammy Wilson | 445 c198 (Link to this contribution) The retreat is an admission by the Government that their strategy on elections to the Northern Irela...
Mark Durkan | 445 c198-9 (Link to this contribution) We can all have much amusement at the Minister’s expense as he stands before us to withdraw these th...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c182 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps ““monkey”” and ““peanuts”” come to mind; I do not know what the salary will be. Nevertheless...
Lord Cormack | 445 c182 (Link to this contribution) I should have referred to a house, and not a flat.
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c174 (Link to this contribution) I think that the hon. Gentleman will find that I was not on my own—I had 290 colleagues in the Lobby...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c167 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that intervention. He is absolutely right. As I tried to e...
Peter Robinson | 445 c135-6 (Link to this contribution) We are dealing with this Bill, and the Committee cannot amend a Bill that is being considered in ano...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c160 (Link to this contribution) With due respect to the hon. Gentleman, it is not in my nature to stand up and fight on issues unles...
Lady Hermon | 445 c161-2 (Link to this contribution) I am terribly sorry to disappoint the Minister, but I have certainly not been persuaded by his argum...
Lord Bannside | 445 c146 (Link to this contribution) Your theology is sound, my friend.
Lembit Opik | 445 c148-9 (Link to this contribution) There are two issues. The first was raised by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) and the s...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c143 (Link to this contribution) I hope that the hon. Lady will understand that these matters will be part of the consultation. I pro...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c190 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful, Sir Alan, for that indication. If I may, I shall speak to clauses 10, 11 and 12 as pa...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c154 (Link to this contribution) I am coming to that point. That is the nub of the argument put forward by hon. Members on both sides...
Laurence Robertson | 445 c139-40 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps, Sir Alan, you will allow me briefly to add my tributes to Her Majesty the Queen and to the ...
Lembit Opik | 445 c144 (Link to this contribution) I am not sure if the Minister was going to come to this before he finished, but I shall put to him a...
Lord Hanson of Flint | 445 c194 (Link to this contribution) Again, I am trying to offer some form of clarity to the House on behalf of the Government. We want t...
Subjects
Devolved matters Fraud Elections Ministerial powers Northern Ireland Public appointments Public interest Political parties Registration Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland
Legislation
Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005-06
Link
View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk