HOUSE OF LORDS
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Tuesday 6th December 2005
The House met at half-past two o’clock.
PRAYERS were read by the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford.
1. Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick—Michael John Hastings, Esquire, CBE, having been created Baron Hastings of Scarisbrick, of Scarisbrick in the County of Lancashire, for life by Letters Patent dated 12th October 2005, was introduced between the Lord Alton of Liverpool and the Lord Puttnam, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod and Garter King of Arms preceding; and took and subscribed the oath pursuant to statute.
2. Earldom of Minto in the Peerage of Scotland—The Petition of Gilbert Timothy George Lariston Elliot-Murray Kynynmound claiming to have succeeded to the Earldom of Minto in the Peerage of Scotland and praying that the Clerk of the Parliaments might be directed to enter the petitioner as the Earl of Minto on his register of hereditary peers maintained under Standing Order 10(5) was presented and was referred to the Lord Chancellor for a report to the House pursuant to Standing Order 11.
Judicial Business
3. West Tankers Inc (Respondents) v. RAS Riunione Adriatica di Sicurta SpA and others (Appellants) (England)—The appeal of RAS Riunione Adriatica di Sicurta SpA and Generali Assicurazioni Generali SpA was presented and it was ordered that in accordance with Standing Order VI the statement and appendix thereto be lodged on or before 17th January.
4. R (on the application of Moore and others (FC) (Petitioners) and others) v. Care Standards Tribunal and others (Respondents)—The petition of Linda Darlington, Ronnie Smith, Raymond Wilson, Alan Edge, Theresa Hyland, Brian Sloan and Eileen Shakespeare praying for leave to appeal was presented and referred to an Appeal Committee. The petitioners’ certificates of public funding were lodged.
5. Ratiu and others (Respondents) v. Conway (Petitioner)—The petition of David Peter Conway praying for leave to appeal was presented and referred to an Appeal Committee.
Papers
6. Command Papers—The following papers, having been presented to the House by command of Her Majesty, were ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Pollution—Supplementary Explanatory Memorandum, dated 2nd December 2005, on the Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone. (—)
(i) Report for 2004-05 of the Criminal Justice Inspection of the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. (—)
(ii) Report of the Office of the Oversight Commissioner for Policing Reform: Report 15th-December 2005 on Training, laid under the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000. (—)
7. Affirmative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House for approval by resolution and ordered to lie on the Table:
(i) Draft Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2006, together with an Explanatory Memorandum—
(ii) Draft Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2006, together with an Explanatory Memorandum—
(iii) Draft Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2006, together with an Explanatory Memorandum—
laid under the Scotland Act 1998.
8. Negative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 5) Regulations 2005, laid under the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act1992; (3294)
2. Child Trust Funds (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2005, laid under the Child Trust Funds Act 2004; (3349)
3. Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variation) (No. 2) Order 2005, laid under the Public Lending Right Act 1979. (3351)
9. Papers not subject to parliamentary proceedings—The following papers were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Accounts for 2004-05 of the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund, together with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, laid under the National Loans Act 1968;
2. Accounts for 2004-05 of the National Savings Ordinary Deposits, together with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, laid under the National Savings Bank Act 1971.
Select Committee Reports
10. European Union—The 18th Report from the Select Committee, Too much or too little? Changes to the EU Sugar Regime, was made and ordered to be printed, together with the Minutes of Evidence. (HL Paper 80)
11. Merits of Statutory Instruments—The following Report from the Select Committee was made and ordered to be printed:
17th Report, on the following affirmative instruments:
Draft Animal Health Act 1981 (Amendment) Regulations 2005;
Draft Communications Act 2003 (Maximum Penalty and Disclosure of Information) Order 2005;
Draft Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2005;
Draft National Health Service (Dental Charges) Regulations 2005. (HL Paper 81)
Public Business
12. Constitution Committee—It was moved by the Chairman of Committees that the Lord Goodlad be appointed a member of the Select Committee in the place of the Lord Monro of Langholm; the motion was agreed to.
13. Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill—It was moved by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland that the bill be now read a second time; after debate, the motion was agreed to and the bill was committed to a Grand Committee.
14. Croatia: European Union accession—The Earl of Dundee asked Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the contribution which Croatia’s accession to the European Union will make towards peace and stability in Europe; after debate, the question was answered by the Lord Triesman.
The House was adjourned at two minutes past nine o’clock
till tomorrow, half-past two o’clock.
PAUL HAYTER
Clerk of the Parliaments
CORRECTION
In yesterday’s Minutes of Proceedings the following item, which appeared as an Affirmative Instrument, should not have been laid before this House:
Draft Climate Change Agreements (Energy-intensive Installations) Regulations 2006, laid under the Finance Act 2000. | 
