My Lords, I should like to notify the House of the retirement, with effect from today, of the noble Lord, Lord Waddington, pursuant to Section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014. On behalf of the House, I should like to thank the noble Lord for his much...

My Lords, I should like to notify the House of the retirement, with effect from today, of the noble Lord, Lord Waddington, pursuant to Section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014. On behalf of the House, I should like to thank the noble Lord for his much...

Lords announcement of the retirement of Lord Waddington on 26 March 2015.

Lords announcement of the retirement of Lord Waddington on 26 March 2015.

Hear! Hear!

Hear! Hear!

The current scheme of financial support for Members of the House is based on a Resolution of the House and a Report of the House Committee (1st Report 2010-12, HL Paper 18), both agreed to by the House on 20 July 2010. The Resolution was not time-limited but the Report...

The current scheme of financial support for Members of the House is based on a Resolution of the House and a Report of the House Committee (1st Report 2010-12, HL Paper 18), both agreed to by the House on 20 July 2010. The Resolution was not time-limited but the Report...

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the refusal to allow delegations of British parliamentarians to enter Gaza from Israel since 2009; whether similar requests for entry via Egypt were refused in 2014; and what representations they have made for access...

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the refusal to allow delegations of British parliamentarians to enter Gaza from Israel since 2009; whether similar requests for entry via Egypt were refused in 2014; and what representations they have made for access...

The Clerk of the Parliaments informed the House that he had received written notice from Lord Phillips of Sudbury under section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 stating that he would retire from the House on 7 May 2015.

The Clerk of the Parliaments informed the House that he had received written notice from Lord Phillips of Sudbury under section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 stating that he would retire from the House on 7 May 2015.

Lords motion to agree the third report from the Privileges and Conduct Select Committee on Amendments to the Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Code; Redaction of written evidence to defunct select committees (HL 143), Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to agree the third report from the Privileges and Conduct Select Committee on Amendments to the Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Code; Redaction of written evidence to defunct select committees (HL 143), Agreed to on question.

At its meeting on 10 March, the Administration and Works Committee considered a proposal regarding the publishing of documents produced by the House and its committees. The House currently contracts The Stationery Office (TSO) to publish House documents; that contract expires in March 2016.

The Committee agreed that:

• Paper copies...

At its meeting on 10 March, the Administration and Works Committee considered a proposal regarding the publishing of documents produced by the House and its committees. The House currently contracts The Stationery Office (TSO) to publish House documents; that contract expires in March 2016.

The Committee agreed that:

• Paper copies...

My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. The third report from the Committee for Privileges and Conduct recommends various amendments to the Code of Conduct and the guide to the code, and one other change. If these amendments are agreed, the...

My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. The third report from the Committee for Privileges and Conduct recommends various amendments to the Code of Conduct and the guide to the code, and one other change. If these amendments are agreed, the...

My Lords, I should like to ask the Chairman of Committees a question on the first of the proposals in relation to the committee considering sanctions against Members. Paragraph 2 of the report states:

“We believe that in rare circumstances it may be appropriate for the Committee for Privileges and Conduct...

My Lords, I should like to ask the Chairman of Committees a question on the first of the proposals in relation to the committee considering sanctions against Members. Paragraph 2 of the report states:

“We believe that in rare circumstances it may be appropriate for the Committee for Privileges and Conduct...

I am very grateful to the noble Lord for raising that issue. It is important to clarify this matter. The committee saw this as being in exceptionally rare circumstances. It would be a very occasional route to take in very specific circumstances. I have been Chairman of Committees for more...

I am very grateful to the noble Lord for raising that issue. It is important to clarify this matter. The committee saw this as being in exceptionally rare circumstances. It would be a very occasional route to take in very specific circumstances. I have been Chairman of Committees for more...

I am sorry to follow this up, but in that case should something not be said in the actual amendment to that effect?

I am sorry to follow this up, but in that case should something not be said in the actual amendment to that effect?

I hope that my clarification today will be sufficient, but we will look at it to see whether it would help to put it in the amendment.

I hope that my clarification today will be sufficient, but we will look at it to see whether it would help to put it in the amendment.

The Clerk of the Parliaments informed the House that he had received written notice from Lord Joffe under section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 stating that he would retire from the House on 30 March 2015.

The Clerk of the Parliaments informed the House that he had received written notice from Lord Joffe under section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 stating that he would retire from the House on 30 March 2015.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to review the exclusion of life Peers from voting at general elections.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to review the exclusion of life Peers from voting at general elections.

My Lords, the Government have no plans to review in this Parliament the long-established legal incapacity that prevents Peers who are Members of the House of Lords voting in a general election.

My Lords, the Government have no plans to review in this Parliament the long-established legal incapacity that prevents Peers who are Members of the House of Lords voting in a general election.

Is this not extraordinary when society is calling for votes at 16 and for felons; when every single Member who is a life Peer in your Lordships’ House has already voted in a general election; and when not one of the 189 upper Houses in the IPU precludes Members from voting? Has not the time come for my noble friend to recognise that it is time for a change? The claim that a Member of the House of Lords already has a voice in Parliament, and that therefore it is right to deprive him or her of having that voice heard through an elected representative in the Commons, no longer has validity as we do not have a voice on money Bills—the very central feature of our democracy, epitomised by “no taxation without representation”.

Is this not extraordinary when society is calling for votes at 16 and for felons; when every single Member who is a life Peer in your Lordships’ House has already voted in a general election; and when not one of the 189 upper Houses in the IPU precludes Members from voting? Has not the time come for my noble friend to recognise that it is time for a change? The claim that a Member of the House of Lords already has a voice in Parliament, and that therefore it is right to deprive him or her of having that voice heard through an elected representative in the Commons, no longer has validity as we do not have a voice on money Bills—the very central feature of our democracy, epitomised by “no taxation without representation”.

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, is a Conservative and has taken very Conservative views on the reform of this House. I would have hoped that he would therefore agree with the statement of Lord Campbell, as Lord Chief Justice in 1858, that by,

“an ancient, immemorial law of England … Peers sat in their own right in their own House, and had no privilege whatsoever to vote for Members to sit in the other House of Parliament”.—[Official Report, 5/7/1858; col. 928.]

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, is a Conservative and has taken very Conservative views on the reform of this House. I would have hoped that he would therefore agree with the statement of Lord Campbell, as Lord Chief Justice in 1858, that by,

“an ancient, immemorial law of England … Peers sat in their own right in their own House, and had no privilege whatsoever to vote for Members to sit in the other House of Parliament”.—[Official Report, 5/7/1858; col. 928.]

My Lords, I cannot believe that the Minister is saying things that he actually believes. Will he concede that this House passed a Bill to give us the right to vote in elections which was blocked by some dissident Whips or other people at the far end for no good reason, and that it is offensive that, when the voters of Britain have a chance to express their views, we are not allowed to? Surely, it is time for the Minister to say that if he had a chance and was Minister for long enough, he would do it.

My Lords, I cannot believe that the Minister is saying things that he actually believes. Will he concede that this House passed a Bill to give us the right to vote in elections which was blocked by some dissident Whips or other people at the far end for no good reason, and that it is offensive that, when the voters of Britain have a chance to express their views, we are not allowed to? Surely, it is time for the Minister to say that if he had a chance and was Minister for long enough, he would do it.

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, and I would very much like to introduce a more rational and modern approach to the second Chamber, but we will have to do that in an

overall way. There are many anomalies in our voting system. The position in which citizens of the Irish Republic and the Commonwealth can vote in British parliamentary elections is also quite extraordinary, but has a long tradition behind it.

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, and I would very much like to introduce a more rational and modern approach to the second Chamber, but we will have to do that in an

overall way. There are many anomalies in our voting system. The position in which citizens of the Irish Republic and the Commonwealth can vote in British parliamentary elections is also quite extraordinary, but has a long tradition behind it.