My Lords, I beg to introduce a Bill to promote the reform of the statute law by the repeal, in accordance with recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission, of certain enactments which, except in so far as their effect is preserved, are no longer of practical...

My Lords, I beg to introduce a Bill to promote the reform of the statute law by the repeal, in accordance with recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission, of certain enactments which, except in so far as their effect is preserved, are no longer of practical...

Statute Law (Repeals) Bill (HL). Presentation and first reading. (HL Bill 37).

Statute Law (Repeals) Bill (HL). Presentation and first reading. (HL Bill 37).

Freedom of Information Act 2000: statistics on implementation in central government, Q3: July - September 2007. 40 p.

Freedom of Information Act 2000: statistics on implementation in central government, Q3: July - September 2007. 40 p.

Freedom of Information Act 2000: statistics on implementation in central government, Q2: April - June 2007. 33 p.

Freedom of Information Act 2000: statistics on implementation in central government, Q2: April - June 2007. 33 p.

Freedom of Information Act 2000: statistics on implementation in central government, Q1: January - March 2007. 34 p.

Freedom of Information Act 2000: statistics on implementation in central government, Q1: January - March 2007. 34 p.

My Lords, before the noble Lord sits down, he has missed the point that small constituencies and shifting boundaries mean that MPs often do not have the same constituents over a period of time—and that impertinence can work both ways. This is a public general measure and, therefore, each House...

My Lords, before the noble Lord sits down, he has missed the point that small constituencies and shifting boundaries mean that MPs often do not have the same constituents over a period of time—and that impertinence can work both ways. This is a public general measure and, therefore, each House...

My Lords, perhaps I may intervene briefly in the gap to give a traditional and perhaps rather more constitutional view than that of the radicals opposite. I note that the noble Lord, Lord Norton, has never actually been in the other place, although he is a great expert on it....

My Lords, perhaps I may intervene briefly in the gap to give a traditional and perhaps rather more constitutional view than that of the radicals opposite. I note that the noble Lord, Lord Norton, has never actually been in the other place, although he is a great expert on it....

My Lords, I rise to support my noble friend’s Bill. He is to be congratulated onhis initiative in bringing it forward. I wish to addressthe two principal changes it seeks to achieve. The first is a reduction in the number of parliamentary constituencies. As my noble friend has explained, we...

My Lords, I rise to support my noble friend’s Bill. He is to be congratulated onhis initiative in bringing it forward. I wish to addressthe two principal changes it seeks to achieve. The first is a reduction in the number of parliamentary constituencies. As my noble friend has explained, we...

My Lords, the Bill has a very worthy aim: reducing the number of Members ofthe House of Commons. That would certainlyhave popular appeal, a point which was easily and effectively made by the noble Lord, Lord Baker. I wonder whether it would be as easy to argue in this place...

My Lords, the Bill has a very worthy aim: reducing the number of Members ofthe House of Commons. That would certainlyhave popular appeal, a point which was easily and effectively made by the noble Lord, Lord Baker. I wonder whether it would be as easy to argue in this place...

It is, my Lords.

It is, my Lords.

My Lords, the noble Lord is absolutely right, but if you tried to even up the size of that constituency you would chop bits of it off and presumably relate it to Southampton, or wherever. The noble Lord is right—that is exactly the kind of conversation that needs to happen....

My Lords, the noble Lord is absolutely right, but if you tried to even up the size of that constituency you would chop bits of it off and presumably relate it to Southampton, or wherever. The noble Lord is right—that is exactly the kind of conversation that needs to happen....

My Lords, I am sorry, I could not resist that—I was an Education Minister. The Bill raises some interesting questions about elected representation and constituencies in the House of Commons. Because we have a formal recommendation before us from the Committee on Standards in Public Life that the whole area...

My Lords, I am sorry, I could not resist that—I was an Education Minister. The Bill raises some interesting questions about elected representation and constituencies in the House of Commons. Because we have a formal recommendation before us from the Committee on Standards in Public Life that the whole area...

My Lords, I beg to disagree with the noble Lord, but I will move on. Proportional representation is an irrelevant canard in this debate, as in any other. Proportional representation stands for permanent representation in government for the least popular party and that is why the Liberal Democrats like it....

My Lords, I beg to disagree with the noble Lord, but I will move on. Proportional representation is an irrelevant canard in this debate, as in any other. Proportional representation stands for permanent representation in government for the least popular party and that is why the Liberal Democrats like it....

My Lords, the noble Lord has the figures for 1997 completely the wrong way round. On the basis of our share of the vote in the 1997 general election, there would have been 100 Liberal Democrat MPs fairly representing the people who had voted throughout the country rather than the...

My Lords, the noble Lord has the figures for 1997 completely the wrong way round. On the basis of our share of the vote in the 1997 general election, there would have been 100 Liberal Democrat MPs fairly representing the people who had voted throughout the country rather than the...

My Lords, it gives me great pleasure to respond to this debate on behalf of the Opposition, the more so as it has been introduced by my noble friend Lord Baker of Dorking, for which I thank him. He was a very distinguished memberof successive Conservative Governments who has, since...

My Lords, it gives me great pleasure to respond to this debate on behalf of the Opposition, the more so as it has been introduced by my noble friend Lord Baker of Dorking, for which I thank him. He was a very distinguished memberof successive Conservative Governments who has, since...

My Lords, I agree with what the noble Lord, Lord Lea of Crondall, said: this is not the Bill to get this proposal on to the statute book. I am grateful for his instruction as to what goes on in another place and for his views on the merits of...

My Lords, I agree with what the noble Lord, Lord Lea of Crondall, said: this is not the Bill to get this proposal on to the statute book. I am grateful for his instruction as to what goes on in another place and for his views on the merits of...

My Lords, I think the noble Lady refers to my noble friend Lord Steel’s Bill. This Bill does not mention people who have served jail sentences.

My Lords, I think the noble Lady refers to my noble friend Lord Steel’s Bill. This Bill does not mention people who have served jail sentences.

My Lords, if the noble Lord, Lord Lester, reads Hansard tomorrow, he will see that I said that I have no difficulty with the words in the Bill concerning the 92 hereditaries. However, I cannot support the Bill, for the reasons that I am going through at the moment. Perhaps...

My Lords, if the noble Lord, Lord Lester, reads Hansard tomorrow, he will see that I said that I have no difficulty with the words in the Bill concerning the 92 hereditaries. However, I cannot support the Bill, for the reasons that I am going through at the moment. Perhaps...

My Lords, I join the sentiments expressed aboutthe noble Lord, Lord Avebury, with whom I havehad the privilege of working, and of having tea with yesterday. I congratulate him on introducing his Bill and giving us an opportunity to debate what is clearly, from the contributions made, an important subject....

My Lords, I join the sentiments expressed aboutthe noble Lord, Lord Avebury, with whom I havehad the privilege of working, and of having tea with yesterday. I congratulate him on introducing his Bill and giving us an opportunity to debate what is clearly, from the contributions made, an important subject....

My Lords, I am extremely grateful to all those who have taken part in the debate, particularly to the Minister for listening so carefully and for giving us assurances that the Government are thinking about these matters in the hope of moving on, perhaps through the medium of the Bill...

My Lords, I am extremely grateful to all those who have taken part in the debate, particularly to the Minister for listening so carefully and for giving us assurances that the Government are thinking about these matters in the hope of moving on, perhaps through the medium of the Bill...