HOUSE OF LORDS
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Die Mercurii 17° Septembris 2003
The House met at half-past two o’clock.
PRAYERS were read by the Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
Papers
1. Command Papers—The following papers were presented to the House by command of Her Majesty and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Finance—Treasury Minutes on the 19th to the 21st and the 23rd to the 25th Reports from the Committee of Public Accounts; (5961)
2. Transfer of Prisoners—Agreement between the United Kingdom and Cuba on the Transfer of Prisoners; (5970)
3. Electoral Reform—Government Response to the Report of the Electoral Commission: The Shape of Elections to Come—A Strategic Evaluation of the 2003 Electoral Pilot Schemes; (5975)
4. Sport—Accounts for 2002-03 of the English Sports Council and the English Sports Council Group. (—)
2. Regulatory Reform—The following orders were laid before the House under section 4(2) of the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 and referred to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee:
1. Draft Regulatory Reform (Gaming Machines) Order 2003, together with a statement by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport;
2. Draft Regulatory Reform (Business Tenancies) (England and Wales) Order 2003, together with a statement by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
3. Negative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Road Traffic (Permitted Parking Area and Special Parking Area) (County of Hampshire) (Borough of Test Valley) Order 2003, laid under the Road Traffic Act 1991; (2336)
2. Pre-Sentence Report Disclosure (Prescriptions of Prosecutors) Order (Northern Ireland) 2003, laid under the Northern Ireland Act 2000. (—)
4. Papers not subject to parliamentary proceedings—The following papers were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. (i) Principal Pension Scheme for Mr David Calvert-Smith—
(ii) Supplementary Pension Scheme for Mr David Calvert-Smith—
laid under the Superannuation Act 1972;
2. Accounts for 2002-03 of the General Osteopathic Council, laid under the Osteopaths Act 1993;
3. Report for 2002-03 of the Department of Trade and Industry on Miscellaneous Duty Reliefs, laid under the European Communities Act 1972;
4. Report and Accounts for 2002-03 of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency, laid under the Government Trading Funds Act 1973, together with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General;
5. Accounts for 2002-03 of the Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery, laid under the Museums and Galleries Act 1992, together with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General;
6. (i) Accounts for 2002-03 of the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Distribution Fund—
(ii) Accounts for 2002-03 of the Sportscotland Lottery Fund—
(iii) Accounts for 2002-03 of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, together with the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General—
laid under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993.
Public Business
5. Procedure of the House—It was moved by the Chairman of Committees that the 4th Report from the Select Committee be agreed to; after debate, the motion was agreed to.
6. Inter-Governmental Conference—It was moved by the Lord President (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to resolve that the Commons Message of 16th September be now considered; and that any Lord may participate in the proceedings of the Standing Committee on the Inter-Governmental Conference appointed by the Commons, but may not vote or move any motion or be counted in the quorum; after debate, the motion was agreed to; and a message was ordered to be sent to the Commons to acquaint them therewith.
7. Local Government Bill—The Commons reasons and amendments were considered; a Lords amendment was not insisted on but an amendment in lieu thereof was agreed to (see division list); a further Lords amendment was not insisted on; Commons amendments to the remaining Lords amendment and Commons’ consequential amendments to the bill were agreed to; then the bill was returned to the Commons with an amendment.
8. Anti-social Behaviour Bill—The House again resolved itself into a Committee upon the bill; amendments were moved and (by leave of the Committee) withdrawn; an amendment was agreed to; the House was resumed.
9. Waterways—The Lord Corbett of Castle Vale asked Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to improve the regulation of the United Kingdom’s rivers, canals and other inland waterways; after debate, the question was answered by the Lord Whitty.
The House was adjourned during pleasure.
The House was resumed.
10. Anti-social Behaviour Bill—The House again resolved itself into a Committee upon the bill; amendments were agreed to; amendments were moved and (by leave of the Committee) withdrawn; the House was resumed after amendment 182B.
The House was adjourned at five minutes before midnight
till tomorrow, eleven o’clock.
PAUL HAYTER
Clerk of the Parliaments | 
