HOUSE OF LORDS
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Die Martis 27° Martii 2001
The House met at half-past two o’clock.
PRAYERS were read by the Lord Bishop of Guildford.
Judicial Business
1. Royal Bank of Scotland plc (Petitioners) v. Miller (Respondent)— The petition of the Royal Bank of Scotland plc praying for leave to appeal was presented and referred to an Appeal Committee.
2. Albright & Wilson UK Limited (Respondents) v. Biachem Limited (Petitioners) and others—The petition of Biachem Limited praying for leave to appeal was presented and referred to an Appeal Committee.
3. Kelly and another (AP) (Petitioners) v. Law Society of Northern Ireland and others (Respondents) (Northern Ireland)— The petition of Denise Kelly and Fearghal Shiels praying for leave to appeal was presented and referred to an Appeal Committee. The legal aid certificate of Fearghal Shiels was lodged.
Papers
4. Instruments withdrawn—The following instruments, laid before the House on the dates shown, were withdrawn today:
1. Draft Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) (Amendment) Order 2001; (22nd March 2001)
2. Employment Appeal Tribunals (Amendment) Rules 2001, laid under the Employment Tribunals Act 1996. (23rd March 2001) (1128)
5. Command Papers—The following papers were presented to the House by command of Her Majesty and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Environment—Government Response to the First Report of the Environmental Audit Commission; (5098)
2. Health—Government Response to the Sixth Report of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, Session 1999-2000, on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (5124)
6. Affirmative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House for approval by resolution and ordered to lie on the Table:
3. Draft Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2001;
4. Draft Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) (Amendment) Order 2001.
7. Negative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
5. (i) Employment Appeal Tribunal (Amendment) Rules 2001— (1128)
(ii) Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations 2001— (1171)
(iii) Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2001— (1170)
laid under the Employment Tribunals Act 1996;
6. Merger (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2001, laid under the Companies Act 1989;
7. Fossil Fuel Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2001, laid under the Electricity Act 1989;
8. Employment Protection (Continuity of Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2001, laid under the Employment Rights Act 1996; (1188)
9. Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts (Amendment) Regulations 2001, laid under the European Communities Act 1972; (1186)
10. ACAS Arbitration Scheme (England and Wales) Order 2001, laid under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; (1185)
11. National Health Service (General Medical Services) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2001, laid under the National Health Service Act 1977; (1178)
12. Pensions Appeal Tribunals (England and Wales) (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2001, laid under the Pensions Appeal Tribunals Act 1943; (1183)
13. (i) Housing Benefit (Permitted Totals) (Amendment) Order 2001— (1129)
(ii) Council Tax Benefit (Permitted Totals) (Amendment) Order 2001— (1130)
laid under the Social Security Administration Act 1992.
8. Papers not subject to parliamentary proceedings—The following papers were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
14. (i) Scotland’s Appropriation Accounts for April to June 1999, together with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General—
(iii) Scottish Consolidated Fund Accounts for April to June 1999, together with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General—
laid under the Scotland Act 1998 (Transitory and Transitional Provisions) (Finance) Order 1999;
15. Amendment List No. 2 to the 5th Edition of the Queen’s Regulations for the Royal Air Force, laid under the Air Force Constitution Act 1917.
Select Committee Reports
9. Statutory Instruments—The 12th Report from the Joint Committee was made on certain statutory instruments, including the following affirmative instruments:
Draft Social Security (Breach of Community Order) Regulations 2001;
Draft Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) (Amendment) Order 2001;
Draft Non-Domestic Rating (Public Houses and Petrol Filling Stations) (England) Order 2001;
Draft Relevant Authorities (General Principles) Order 2001;
Draft Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2001;
it was ordered that the Report be printed. (HL Paper 58)
10. European Union—The 11th Report from the Select Committee, Minimum Standards in Asylum Procedures, was made; it was ordered that the Report be printed, together with the Minutes of Evidence. (HL Paper 59)
Private Business
11. Examiner of Petitions for Private Bills—It was moved by the Lord Tordoff that, pursuant to Private Business Standing Order 69, Mr F A Cranmer be appointed an Examiner of Petitions for Private Bills in place of Ms H E Irwin with effect from 6th April; the motion was agreed to.
Public Business
12. Election Publications Bill [HL]— A bill to make provision for postponing the operation of certain enactments relating to election publications; and for connected purposes was presented by the Lord Bassam of Brighton, read a first time and ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 41)
13. Election Publications Bill [HL]— It was ordered that the Explanatory Notes relating to the bill be printed. (HL Bill 41-EN)
14. Business of the House—It was moved by the Lord Carter, on behalf of the Baroness Jay of Paddington, that Standing Order 40 (Arrangement of the Order Paper) be dispensed with tomorrow to allow the public bills to be taken before the motion standing in the name of the Viscount Cranborne; after debate, the motion was (by leave of the House) withdrawn.
15. Vehicles (Crime) Bill—The bill was read a third time; amendments were moved and (by leave of the House) withdrawn; then, after debate, the bill was passed.
16. Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2001—It was moved by the Lord Bassam of Brighton that the draft Order laid before the House on 28th February be approved; then it was moved by the Lord Archer of Sandwell, as an amendment thereto, at end to insert “; but that this House regrets that the Mujaheddin e Khalq have been included in the Schedule of proscribed organisations contained in the Order, and invites Her Majesty’s Government to lay a further Order, removing the Mujaheddin e Khalq from the Schedule.”; after debate, the amendment was (by leave of the House) withdrawn; then the original motion was agreed to.
17. House of Commons (Removal of Clergy Disqualification) Bill—It was moved by the Lord Bassam of Brighton that the bill be now read a second time; after debate, the motion was agreed to and the bill was committed to a Committee of the Whole House.
18. Alterations to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2001—It was moved by the Lord Bassam of Brighton that the draft Scheme laid before the House on 5th March be approved; then it was moved by the Lord Thomas of Gresford, as an amendment thereto, at end to insert “but that this House regrets that the Government has failed again to bring compensation for injury and death caused by criminal activities back up to the level of common law damages for injury and death caused by negligence, as was paid for many years under the original Scheme”; after debate, the amendment was (by leave of the House) withdrawn; then the original motion was agreed to.
19. Detention Centre Rules 2001—It was moved by the Lord Avebury that an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that the Rules, laid before the House on 6th February, be annulled (S.I. 2001/238); after debate, the motion was (by leave of the House) withdrawn.
The House was adjourned at two minutes past one o’clock
in the morning of Wednesday 28th March
till later the same day, half-past two o’clock in the afternoon.
MICHAEL DAVIES
Cler: Parliamentor:
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