HOUSE OF LORDS
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Monday 19th December 2005
The House met at half-past two o’clock.
PRAYERS were read by the Lord Bishop of Oxford.
1. Lord Barber—The Lord Chancellor acquainted the House that Lord Barber, a member of the House, had died on 16th December 2005.
Papers
2. Command Papers—The following papers, having been presented to the House by command of Her Majesty on the dates shown, were ordered to lie on the Table:
Departmental Performance—
(i) The Crown Prosecution Service Autumn Performance Report 2005; (19th December) (6672)
(ii) HM Revenue & Customs Report for 2004-05 and Autumn Performance Report 2005; (19th December) (6691)
(iii) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Autumn Performance Report 2005; (16th December) (6692)
(iv) HM Treasury Autumn Performance Report 2005; (19th December) (6696)
(v) Home Office Autumn Performance Report 2005; (19th December) (6707)
(vi) Department for Constitutional Affairs Autumn Performance Report 2005; (19th December) (6718)
(vii) Northern Ireland Office Autumn Performance Report 2005; (19th December) (6720)
(viii) Department for Culture, Media and Sport Autumn Performance Report 2005; (19th December) (6721)
(ix) UK Trade & Investment Autumn Performance Report 2005. (19th December) (6726)
3. Statutory Instruments (Standing Order 71)—The following instruments, having been laid before the House on 16th December, were ordered to lie on the Table:
1. East Sussex County Healthcare National Health Service Trust (Transfer of Trust Property) Order 2005, laid under the National Health Service Act 1977; (3393)
2. Parliamentary Elections (Welsh Forms) (Amendment) Order 2005, laid under the Welsh Language Act 1993. (3470)
4. Affirmative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House for approval by resolution and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Draft Representation of People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2006, laid under the Representation of the People Act 1983, together with an Explanatory Memorandum;
2. Draft European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Member States and the Swiss Confederation to Combat Fraud) Order 2006, laid under the European Communities Act 1972, together with an Explanatory Memorandum.
5. Negative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Designated Sites) Order 2005, laid under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005; (3447)
2. (i) Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes (Cross-compliance) (England) Regulations 2005— (3459)
(ii) Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment Scheme (Set-aside) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2005— (3460)
laid under the European Communities Act 1972;
3. Radioactive Contaminated Land (Enabling Powers) (England) Regulations 2005, laid under the Environmental Protection Act 1990; (3467)
4. Hydrocarbon Oil (Registered Remote Markers) Regulations 2005, laid under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979; (3472)
5. Income Tax (Building Societies) (Dividends and Interest) (Amendment) Regulations 2005, laid under the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988; (3474)
6. Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, laid under the Immigration Act 1971. (—)
6. Papers not subject to parliamentary proceedings—The following papers were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. (i) Report for 2003-04 of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee—
(ii) Report for 2004-05 of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee—
laid under the Transport Act 1985;
2. Report and Accounts for 2004-05 of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, together with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, laid under the Government Trading Funds Act 1973;
3. Accounts for 2004-05 of the Marine and Aviation Insurance (War Risks) Fund, together with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, laid under the Marine and Aviation Insurance (War Risks) Act 1952;
4. (i) Accounts for 2004-05 of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council—
(ii) Accounts for 2004-05 of the Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery—
(iii) Accounts for 2004-05 of the Department for Social Development Charitable Donations and Bequests—
(iv) Accounts for 2002-03 of the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency Social Fund—
laid under the Northern Ireland Act 2000;
5. Report and Accounts for 2004-05 of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, laid under the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000;
6. Report and Accounts for 2004-05 of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, laid under the Northern Ireland Act 1998;
7. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan, laid under the Animal Health Act 2002;
8. Report and Accounts for 2004-05 of English Heritage, laid under the National Heritage Act 1983;
9. Report for 2004-05 of the Healthcare Commission, laid under the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.
Select Committee Report
7. Human Rights—The 6th Report of the Joint Committee, Legislative Scrutiny: Third Progress Report, together with an Appendix, was made and ordered to be printed. (HL Paper 96)
Private Business
8. Private Bills—The Examiners’ certificates that the Standing Orders applicable to the petitions for the following bills have been complied with were delivered and ordered to lie on the Table:
Maidstone Borough Council;
Merseyside Local Authorities (Prohibition of Smoking in Places of Work);
9. London Local Authorities and Transport for London Bill—The Examiner’s certificate that no further standing order is applicable was ordered to lie on the Table.
Public Business
10. National Insurance Contributions Bill—A bill to make provision about national insurance contributions in cases where there is a retrospective change to the law relating to income tax and to enable related provision to be made for the purposes of contributory benefits, statutory payments and other matters; and to make provision about the disclosure of information in relation to arrangements for the avoidance of national insurance contributions; and for connected purposes was brought from the Commons, read a first time and ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 54)
11. National Insurance Contributions Bill—It was ordered that the Explanatory Notes relating to the bill be printed. (HL Bill 54-EN)
12. Identity Cards Bill—The House again resolved itself into a Committee upon the bill; amendments were moved and (by leave of the Committee) withdrawn; the House was resumed and the bill was reported with amendments; it was ordered that the bill be printed as amended. (HL Bill 55)
13. Consolidated Fund Bill—It was moved by the Lord McKenzie of Luton 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.
14. Pre-Budget Report 2005—It was moved by the Lord McKenzie of Luton that this House takes note with approval of the Government’s assessment as set out in the Pre-Budget Report 2005 for the purposes of section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993; after debate, the motion was agreed to.
15. Royal Assent—The Lord Speaker (Lord Geddes) notified the Queen’s Assent to the following Acts:
| Consolidated Fund Act | c. | 23 |
| Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Act | c. | 24 |
The House was adjourned at five minutes before ten o’clock till tomorrow, half-past two o’clock.
PAUL HAYTER
Clerk of the Parliaments |
