HOUSE OF LORDS
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Tuesday 16th March 2004
The House met at half-past two o’clock.
PRAYERS were read by the Lord Bishop of Oxford.
1. Lord Hobhouse of Woodborough—The Lord Chancellor acquainted the House that Lord Hobhouse of Woodborough, a member of the House, had died on 15th March 2004.
2. Barony of Grimthorpe in the Peerage of England—The Lord Chancellor reported that Edward John Beckett had established his succession to the Barony of Grimthorpe in the Peerage of England. The Clerk of the Parliaments was accordingly directed to enter the Lord Grimthorpe on the register of hereditary peers maintained under Standing Order 10(5).
Judicial Business
3. Regina v. Durham Constabulary and another (Appellant) ex parte R (FC) (Respondent) (Criminal Appeal from Her Majesty’s High Court of Justice)—
4. Regina v. Durham Constabulary (Appellants) and another ex parte R (FC) (Respondent) (Criminal Appeal from Her Majesty’s High Court of Justice)—
The appeals were set down for hearing and referred to an Appellate Committee.
5. Synthon BV (Appellants) v. Smithkline Beecham plc (Respondents)—The petition of the appellants praying that the time for lodging the statement and appendix and setting down the cause for hearing might be extended to 28th April next (the agents for the respondents consenting thereto) was presented; and it was ordered as prayed.
Papers
6. Instrument withdrawn—The following instrument, laid before the House on 9th March, was withdrawn:
Draft Employment Zones (Allocation to Contractors) Pilot Regulations 2004.
7. Command Paper—The following paper was presented to the House by command of Her Majesty and ordered to lie on the Table:
Pay Review Bodies—Part Two of the Thirteenth Report of the School Teachers’ Review Body. (6164)
8. Affirmative Instrument—The following instrument was laid before the House for approval by resolution and ordered to lie on the Table:
Draft Employment Zones (Allocation to Contractors) Pilot Regulations 2004, laid under the Jobseekers Act 1995.
9. Negative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. LEA Budget, Schools Budget and Individual Schools Budget and the Financing of Maintained Schools (No. 2) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2004, laid under the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998; (659)
2. (i) Statutory Maternity Pay (Compensation of Employers) Amendment Regulations 2004— (698)
(ii) Social Security (Contributions, Categorisation of Earners and Intermediaries) (Amendment) Regulations 2004— (770)
laid under the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992;
3. Welfare Food (Amendment) Regulations 2004, laid under the Social Security Act 1988; (723)
4. Immigration (Restrictions on Employment) Order 2004, laid under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996; (755)
5. (i) Statute made by Exeter College, Oxford— (—)
(ii) Statute made by St Hilda’s College, Oxford— (—)
(iii) Statute made by Magdalen College, Oxford— (—)
laid under the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Act 1923.
10. Papers not subject to parliamentary proceedings—The following papers were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Census 2001: Key Statistics for Parishes in England and communities in Wales, laid under the Census Act 1920;
2. Accounts for 2002-03 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, laid under the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001.
Select Committee Report
11. Statutory Instruments—The 12th Report from the Joint Committee was made on certain statutory instruments, including the following affirmative instruments:
Draft Cash Ratio Deposits (Value Bands and Ratios) Order 2004;
Draft Employment Zones (Allocation to Contractors) Pilot Regulations 2004;
Draft European Parliament (Disqualification) (United Kingdom and Gibraltar) Order 2004;
Draft European Parliament (Number of MEPs) (United Kingdom and Gibraltar) Order 2004;
Draft Lay Magistrates (Eligibility) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004;
Draft Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Modification) Order 2004;
Draft National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 (Amendment) Regulations 2004;
it was ordered that the Report be printed. (HL Paper 57)
Public Business
12. Fire and Rescue Services Bill—A bill to make provision about fire and rescue authorities and their functions; to make provision about employment by, and powers of employees of, fire and rescue authorities; to make provision about education and training and pension schemes; to make provision about the supply of water; to make provision about false alarms of fire; to provide for the funding of advisory bodies; and for connected purposes was brought from the Commons, read a first time and ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 44)
13. Fire and Rescue Services Bill—It was ordered that the Explanatory Notes relating to the bill be printed. (HL Bill 44-EN)
14. Business of the House—It was moved by the Lord President (Baroness Amos) that Standing Order 47 (No two stages of a Bill to be taken on one day) be dispensed with to allow the Consolidated Fund (No. 2) Bill to be taken through all its stages today; the motion was agreed to.
15. Consolidated Fund (No. 2) Bill—It was moved by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey that the bill be now read a second time; the motion was agreed to and the Committee was negatived; then, Standing Order 47 having been dispensed with, the bill was read a third time and passed.
16. European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Bill—The Commons amendment and reason were considered; a motion that the House do disagree to a Commons amendment to a Lords amendment was agreed to (see division list 1); a motion that the House do insist on a Lords amendment to which the Commons had disagreed was agreed to (see division list 2); a Committee was appointed to propose reasons for such disagreement and insistence.
The Lords following were named of the Committee:
The Committee reported that they had proposed the following reason in respect of the disagreement to Commons amendment 1A:
“Because it is appropriate to make provision for no more than two pilot regions, as recommended by the Electoral Commission”;
and the following reason in respect of the insistence on Lords amendment 3:
“Because it is appropriate to impose the requirements set out in the Lords amendment”.
The Report was agreed to; then the bill was returned to the Commons with reasons.
17. Agricultural Statistics (Northern Ireland) Order 2004—It was moved by the Lord President (Baroness Amos) that the draft Order laid before the House on 12th February be approved; after debate, the motion was agreed to.
The House was adjourned during pleasure.
The House was resumed.
18. Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill—The bill was further considered on report; amendments were agreed to (see division lists 3 and 4); amendments were moved and (by leave of the House) withdrawn; amendments were agreed to; further consideration on report was adjourned.
19. Abortion—The Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the provisions in statute that permit conditions such as cleft palate and cleft lip to be regarded as “serious handicaps” for the purposes of terminating the lives of the unborn after 24 weeks gestation; after debate, the question was answered by the Lord Warner.
The House was adjourned during pleasure.
The House was resumed.
20. Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill—The bill was further considered on report; amendments were moved and (by leave of the House) withdrawn; amendments were agreed to; it was ordered that the bill be printed as amended. (HL Bill 45)
21. European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Bill—The bill was returned from the Commons with an amendment to a Lords amendment not insisted on and with an amendment proposed in lieu thereof, and with a Lords amendment disagreed to with an amendment proposed in lieu thereof; the Commons amendments were ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 46)
The House was adjourned at twenty-seven minutes before eleven o’clock
till tomorrow, half-past two o’clock.
PAUL HAYTER
Clerk of the Parliaments
APPENDIX
PROCEEDINGS OF THE GRAND COMMITTEE (IN THE MOSES ROOM)
The Committee met at half-past three o’clock.
Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Bill [HL]—The bill was considered in the Grand Committee; amendments were moved and (by leave of the Committee) withdrawn; the Committee was adjourned after amendment 30.
The Committee was adjourned at twenty-nine minutes past seven o’clock. | 
