House of Lords Journal 231 (Session 1997-98)

Previous Next Friday 27 March 1998 The House met at eleven o’clock. The following Lords Spiritual and Temporal were present: Irvine of Lairg, L. (Lord Chancellor) Acton, L. Addington, L. Ailsa, M. Alderdice, L. Alexander of Tunis, E. Allen of Abbeydale, L. Allenby of Megiddo, V. Alport, L. Ampthill, L. Anelay of St. Johns, B. Annan, L. Archer of Weston-Super-Mare, L. Astor of Hever, L. Bassam of Brighton, L. Beaumont of Whitley, L. Belhaven and Stenton, L. Berkeley, L. Blatch, B. Blyth, L. Borrie, L. Boston of Faversham, L. Bowness, L. Braine of Wheatley, L. Brooke of Alverthorpe, L. Brooks of Tremorfa, L. Brougham and Vaux, L. Bruce of Donington, L. Burlison, L. Burnham, L. Cadman, L. Campbell of Alloway, L. Campbell of Croy, L. Carlisle, E. Carter, L. Chalker of Wallasey, B. Charteris of Amisfield, L. Page 705 1997-98 Volume 231       Clancarty, E. Cledwyn of Penrhos, L. Cochrane of Cults, L. Cocks of Hartcliffe, L. Coleraine, L. Colwyn, L. Cullen of Ashbourne, L. Davidson, V. Davies of Oldham, L. De Freyne, L. Dean of Beswick, L. Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, B. Denbigh, E. Denton of Wakefield, B. Dholakia, L. Dormand of Easington, L. Effingham, E. Elles, B. Elliott of Morpeth, L. Elton, L. Evans of Parkside, L. Farrington of Ribbleton, B. Fitt, L. Fookes, B. Freyberg, L. Gardner of Parkes, B. Geraint, L. Gladwin of Clee, L. Gould of Potternewton, B. Grey, E. Hacking, L. Halsbury, E. Hamwee, B. Harding of Petherton, L. Hardy of Wath, L. Haskel, L. Holderness, L. HolmPatrick, L. Hooper, B. Hooson, L. Howe, E. Howie of Troon, L. Hughes, L. Hughes of Woodside, L. Janner of Braunstone, L. Jenkin of Roding, L. Jopling, L. Judd, L. Kennet, L. Kilbracken, L. Kilmarnock, L. Kingsland, L. Lauderdale, E. Layton, L. Leathers, V. Leigh, L. Longford, E. Lowry, L. Lucas, L. Lucas of Chilworth, L. Ludford, B. Luke, L. Lyell, L. McConnell, L. Macfarlane of Bearsden, L. Macleod of Borve, B. McNair, L. Maddock, B. Marlesford, L. Marsh, L. Mersey, V. Meston, L. Milner of Leeds, L. Molloy, L. Monkswell, L. Montgomery of Alamein, V. Morris of Manchester, L. Mottistone, L. Mountevans, L. Moynihan, L. Munster, E. Murton of Lindisfarne, L. Newall, L. Newby, L. Newton of Braintree, L. Nicholson of Winterbourne, B. Noel-Buxton, L. Norrie, L. Northesk, E. Norwich, Bp. O’Cathain, B. Oliver of Aylmerton, L. Oxfuird, V. Park of Monmouth, B. Paul, L. Peston, L. Pilkington of Oxenford, L. Plummer of St. Marylebone, L. Quirk, L. Ramsay of Cartvale, B. Randall of St. Budeaux, L. Rankeillour, L. Rawlings, B. Rea, L. Redesdale, L. Rees, L. Rendell of Babergh, B. Rennell, L. Renton, L. Rowallan, L. Ryder of Wensum, L. St. John of Bletso, L. Seccombe, B. Sempill, L. Shannon, E. Shaughnessy, L. Shore of Stepney, L. Simon, V. Simon of Glaisdale, L. Smith of Clifton, L. Stone of Blackheath, L. Strabolgi, L. Strathcarron, L. Strathclyde, L. Swansea, L. Swinfen, L. Taylor of Blackburn, L. Taylor of Warwick, L. Teviot, L. Teynham, L. Thurlow, L. Tweeddale, M. Vivian, L. Waddington, L. Wallace of Saltaire, L. Weatherill, L. Westbury, L. Whitty, L. Wigoder, L. Williams of Elvel, L. Wilson of Tillyorn, L. Wise, L. Wright of Richmond, L. Wynford, L. PRAYERS were read by the Lord Bishop of Norwich. 1. Leave of Absence—Leave of absence was granted to the Lord Chancellor for Wednesday 1st April. Papers 2. Command Paper—The following paper was presented to the House by command of Her Majesty and ordered to lie on the Table: Crime—Agreement between the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago concerning mutual assistance in relation to crime. (3900) 3. Negative Instruments—The following instruments were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table: 1. Local Authorities (Goods and Services) (Public Bodies) (No. 2) Order 1998, laid under the Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970;   (868) 2. Legal Aid (Mediation in Family Matters) (Amendment) Regulations 1998, laid under the Legal Aid Act 1988;   (900) 3. Education (Grant-maintained and Grant-maintained Special Schools) (Finance) Regulations 1998, laid under the Education Act 1996.   (799) Page 706 1997-98 Volume 231 Back to top 4. Paper not subject to parliamentary proceedings—The following paper was laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table: Report for 1996–97 of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools in Wales, laid under the School Inspections Act 1996. Public Business 5. Prime Minister (Ecclesiastical Functions) Bill [HL]—A bill to make provision for the alternative exercise of the ecclesiastical functions of the Prime Minister when that office is held by a person who is not a member of the Church of England was presented by the Lord Alderdice, read a first time and ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 95) 6. Electricity Generation Bill [HL]—The order of commitment was discharged. 7. Mental Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill [HL]—The House resolved itself into a Committee upon the bill; amendments were agreed to; the House was resumed and the bill was reported with amendments; it was ordered that the bill be printed as amended. (HL Bill 96) 8. Government of Wales Bill—A bill to establish and make provision about the National Assembly for Wales and the office of Auditor General for Wales; to reform certain Welsh public bodies and abolish certain other Welsh public bodies; and for connected purposes was brought from the Commons, read a first time and ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 98) 9. Business Improvement Districts Bill [HL]—The report was received; amendments were agreed to; it was ordered that the bill be printed as amended. (HL Bill 97) 10. Lord Chancellor (Tenure of Office) (Amendment) Bill [HL]—The House resolved itself into a Committee upon the bill; an amendment was moved and (by leave of the Committee) withdrawn; the House was resumed and the bill was reported without amendment. 11. Consumer Credit (Increase of Monetary Limits) (Amendment) Order 1998—It was moved by the Lord Haskel that the draft Order laid before the House on 13th January be approved; after debate, the motion was agreed to. 12. Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 1998—It was moved by the Lord Haskel that the draft Order laid before the House on 18th February be approved; the motion was agreed to. 13. Railways (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1998—It was moved by the Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale that the draft Order laid before the House on 27th February be approved; the motion was agreed to. 14. Social Security (Minimum Contributions to Appropriate Personal Pension Schemes) Order 1998—It was moved by the Lord Haskel that the draft Order laid before the House on 4th March be approved; the motion was agreed to. 15. Social Security (Reduced Rates of Class 1 Contributions, and Rebates) (Money Purchase Contracted-out Schemes) Order 1998—It was moved by the Lord Haskel that the draft Order laid before the House on 4th March be approved; the motion was agreed to. 16. Sexually transmitted diseases in the former Soviet Union—The Lord Rea asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking bilaterally, or multilaterally through the European Union or the World Health Organisation, to help curb the rapidly escalating epidemic of syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS in the countries of the former Soviet Union; after debate, the question was answered by the Lord Whitty. The House was adjourned at eleven minutes past three o’clock to Monday next, half-past two o’clock.