WEDNESDAY 29TH JULY
[Prayers will have been read]
†The Lord Laming
and
The Lord Burns
*The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the comprehensive spending review will affect the number of overseas diplomatic posts.
*The Lord Hooson—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are satisfied with the arrangements being made for the adequate translation of documents into the Welsh language in time for the first sitting of the Welsh Assembly in 1999.
*The Lord Kennet—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider it to be in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 487 and 687 that the United States should transfer to Israel 25 strike aircraft capable of reaching Iran.
*The Lord Dormand of Easington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will expedite their report on progress made in monitoring the application of “best practice” principles set out in the Greenbury, Hampel and Cadbury reports on payments made to private sector executives.
Liaison Committee—The Chairman of Committees to move, That the Second Report from the Select Committee (HL Paper 133) be agreed to.
Pensions (Amendment) Bill [HL]— Third Reading [The Lord Morris of Manchester]
Government of Wales Bill—Consideration of Commons reasons and amendment [The Lord Williams of Mostyn]
Finance (No. 2) Bill—Second Reading (and remaining stages) [The Lord McIntosh of Haringey] (Money Bill)
Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Procedure) Rules 1998—The Lord Chancellor to move, That the draft Rules laid before the House on 2nd July be approved. [40th Report from the Joint Committee]
Criminal Appeal (Amendment) Bill [HL]— Second Reading [The Lord Ackner]
The Lord Chancellor—To move, That this House take note of Her Majesty’s Government’s proposals for Draft Civil Procedure Rules (contained in the document Access to Justice dated July 1998) as part of their proposals for civil justice reform.
†[If the Crime and Disorder Bill [HL] and the National Minimum Wage Bill are returned from the Commons they will be further considered this day, after the Government of Wales Bill]
THURSDAY 30TH JULY
*The Lord Barnett—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to improving the working hours and conditions of the House of Lords in line with proposals being put forward for the House of Commons by the Leader of that House.
*The Lord Hurd of Westwell—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is any intention on their part to discuss the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, or relations between the Falkland Islands and Argentina, with President Menem when he visits the United Kingdom in the autumn.
*The Viscount Waverley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will introduce ECGD (Export Credits Guarantee Department) cover for Iran; and, if so, when.
[It is expected that the Committee stage of the Scotland Bill will be continued this day]
FRIDAY 31ST JULY
[At eleven o’clock]
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (Amendment) Regulations 1998—The Lord Williams of Mostyn to move, That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 25th June be approved. [40th Report from the Joint Committee]
The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean—To move, That this House take note of NATO’s invitation to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland to join the Alliance.
NO DAY NAMED
PART I
The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein—To call attention to the opportunities for trade with and investment in Latin America; and to move for papers.
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To call attention to the need for full, enforceable civil rights for chronically sick and disabled people; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Perry of Southwark—To call attention to the importance of higher education policy for the social, economic and intellectual welfare of the United Kingdom; and to move for papers.
The Lord Barnett—To call attention to the prospects for the United Kingdom joining EMU in the foreseeable future; and to move for papers.
The Lord Armstrong of Ilminster—To move, That a Select Committee be appointed to undertake an inquiry, and within three calendar months to make recommendations, as to how a procedure might be implemented whereby the House would nominate approximately one hundred peers by succession to be voting peers and whereby the remaining peers by succession would renounce their rights to vote but would retain their rights to speak in the House or Committees of the House.
The Lord Moynihan—To call attention to the current situation in Algeria; and to move for papers.
The Earl of Northesk—To call attention to political and economic developments in the South Atlantic; and to move for papers.
The Lord Stone of Blackheath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a need throughout the United Kingdom for a comprehensive and cohesive policy relating to the commercial, business and financial sectors in towns, cities and other urban areas.
The Earl of Carlisle—To call attention to the number of people from ethnic minorities in senior positions in public life; and to move for papers.
The Lord Sandberg—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect the financial crisis in the Far East is likely to have on the British economy.
The Lord Hooson—To call attention to plans to restructure the United Nations for the next century; and to move for papers.
The Viscount Waverley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on the use of sanctions.
The Lord Kennet—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the Charter of the United Nations permits, and the international rule of law can survive, claims by individual member states to a right of unilateral interpretation of UN Security Council Resolutions, and a right to engage in military operations under such unilateral interpretations.
Succession to the Crown—The Lord Alderdice to move, That an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to allow that Her undoubted Prerogative and interest may not stand in the way of the consideration of Parliament during the present session of any measure to remove the bar on a person who is not, or who is married to a person who is not, a protestant to succeed to the Crown.
The Baroness Thomas of Walliswood—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to continuing delays in the completion of the Swanwick Air Traffic Control Centre.
The Lord Kennet—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to replace measurements of gross domestic product and gross national product, both within the United Kingdom and in international bodies, with measurements that are being developed by the Office for National Statistics which are able to take into account economically significant unpaid and unrecorded work and the reduction through consumption or otherwise of irreplaceable natural resources.
The Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote family-friendly working practices to enable people to balance the responsibilities of family life with the demands of paid work.
The Earl of Carlisle—To call attention to the long-term future of Central and Eastern Europe, with particular reference to the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; and to move for papers.
The Earl of Onslow—To call attention to the science of genetically-modified organisms, and its implications for the breeding of plants and animals; and to move for papers.
The Viscount Hanworth—To call attention to the need to encourage teachers in primary and secondary education, and to the role of OFSTED; and to move for papers.
The Lord Bishop of Oxford—To call attention to the commitment in the Labour Party manifesto to a “fairer, faster and firmer” asylum procedure; and to move for papers.
The Lord Ackner—To call attention to the case for effectively monitoring the operation of conditional fee agreements; and to move for papers.
The Lord Dholakia—To call attention to the need for a national strategy for dealing with paedophiles; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Ludford—To call attention to the need for firm action by the European Union and its international partners to secure peace and justice in Kosovo; and to move for papers.
The Lord Birdwood—To call attention to changes in the duties of back-bench members of both Houses of Parliament in the last thirty years; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Linklater of Butterstone—To call attention to the implications for rural communities of the closure of their local school; and to move for papers.
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To call attention to the apparent increase in cruelty to animals; and to move for papers.
The Earl of Kinnoull—To call attention to the need to retain a viable British fishing industry beyond 2002; and to move for papers.
The Earl of Clanwilliam—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the industrialisation of farming practices in the United Kingdom.
The Lord Hylton—To move to resolve, That this House deplores the attempted murder of Mr Akin Birdal, President of the Turkish Human Rights Association, on 12th May; the refusal by the Turkish Government to admit United Nations Rapporteurs on Human Rights, or representatives of the OSCE or ICRC; the imprisonment and exile of members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey; and the banning and dissolution in Turkey of numerous bona fide political parties.
The Lord Janner of Braunstone—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ban or restrict smoking in restaurants, other eating places and other public places.
The Lord Rowallan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their long-term policy towards help lines in the field of health services.
The Earl of Longford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are continuing a policy of cutting expenditure in real terms per prisoner, and of cutting the total expenditure in real terms on the probation service and on prisoner education.
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further consideration they are giving to improving Service Pensions and War and War Widows’ Pensions; and when they expect to announce any improvements.
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their intentions for taxing pesticides, and what will be the implications of such a tax for farming and the countryside.
The Lord Tope—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the problem of bullying of pupils in secondary schools.
The Baroness Maddock—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take to improve the quality of the housing stock following the recent publication of the English House Condition Survey for 1996.
The Viscount Chelmsford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are satisfied that the link between the United Kingdom’s Balance of Payments and the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by the nation’s leaders and managers is sufficiently understood.
The Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their view of the economic and business opportunities presented by the information age, which was the subject of a Government paper published in April by the Central Office of Information.
The Lord Vinson—To call attention to the case for using nuclear energy to meet the United Kingdom’s Kyoto Conference obligations for the reduction of CO2 emissions; and to move for papers.
The Lord Borrie—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to modernise the regulation of the utility industries so as to provide a fair deal for consumers in general and vulnerable consumers in particular.
The Lord Hayhoe—To call attention to the case for establishing an Independent Statutory Commission responsible for the conduct of referendums, their organisation and administration along the lines proposed by the Commission on the Conduct of Referendums chaired by Sir Patrick Nairne which reported in November 1996; and to move for papers.
The Duke of Abercorn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering a request to the European Union for additional funding to ensure that the Londonderry-Strabane-Ballygawley A5 road is upgraded to the required modern standard.
The Lord McNally—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Press Complaints Commission about the outcome of their respective inquiries into the events surrounding the publication of Cries Unheard concerning Mary Bell.
The Lord Ironside—To call attention to the strengths of the Armed Forces and the investments needed to sustain their capabilities for deployment and intervention in defence of the United Kingdom’s sovereign interests; and to move for papers.
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to amend current mental health legislation in order to facilitate positive intervention to assist the mentally ill living in the community.
The Lord Blaker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the cost of converting Kensington Gardens to a memorial park for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, will be met from public funds if the proposal is proceeded with.
The Lord Ackner—To call attention to the Government’s consultation paper Rights of Audience and Rights to Conduct Litigation in England and Wales: The Way Ahead (June 1998); and to move for papers.
The Lord Campbell of Alloway—To move to resolve, That a Royal Commission be appointed to consider and report on proposals to reconstitute or reform the House of Lords; and that no such proposals be enacted until the said report has been debated in both Houses of Parliament.
†The Baroness O’Cathain—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage marketing and its contribution to business success.
PART II
SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS
[The date in brackets is that on which the Report was published]
The Lord Kingsland—To move, That this House take note of the Report of the European Communities Committee on Enhancing Parliamentary Scrutiny of the Third Pillar (6th Report, HL Paper 25). [12th September]
The Lord Slynn of Hadley—To move, That this House take note of the Report of the Select Committee on the Public Service (HL Paper 55). [19th January]
The Baroness Hilton of Eggardon—To move, That this House take note of the Report of the European Communities Committee on Sustainable Landfill (17th Report, HL Paper 83). [7th April]
The Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior—To move, That this House take note of the Report of the Science and Technology Committee, Resistance to Antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents (7th Report, HL Paper 81). [23rd April]
The Lord Hoffmann—To move, That this House take note of the Report of the European Communities Committee on Acquired Rights Revisited (22nd Report, HL Paper 98). [18th May]
The Lord Barnett—To move, That this House take note of the Report of the European Communities Committee on the European Central Bank (24th Report, HL Paper 112). [9th June]
The Lord Wallace of Saltaire—To move, That this House take note of the Report of the European Communities Committee on Student Mobility in the European Union (27th Report, HL Paper 116). [3rd July]
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
[Tabled or amended on 27th July]
The Lord Bassam of Brighton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to assist Belize with debt relief. (HL3090)
The Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been made of the state of preparations by businesses and other organisations in the United Kingdom for the implications of EMU. (HL3091)
The Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the future of the fisheries research laboratory at Conwy. (HL3092)
The Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide updated details of the commercial and non-commercial interests of the members of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee which would potentially conflict with responsibilities incumbent on a member of the Committee. (HL3093)
The Lord Dholakia—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of (a) all offenders, (b) adult male offenders, (c) adult female offenders, and (d) male offenders of all ages sentenced for indictable offences were sentenced to custody at all courts, Crown Courts and Magistrate’s Courts respectively in each year from 1992 to 1997 and each quarter of 1997 and 1998. (HL3094)
The Lord Dholakia—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average sentence length passed on (a) adult males and (b) adult females by Crown Courts and Magistrate’s Courts respectively in each year from 1992 to 1997. (HL3095)
The Lord Dholakia—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the additional £112 million funding for the Prison Service announced by the Home Secretary on 13th February 1998 was inclusive of or additional to the £43 million additional funding announced on 24th July 1997; and whether the additional £66 million announced on 21st July 1998 is inclusive of or exclusive of these amounts. (HL3096)
The Lord Dholakia—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many male and female prisoners respectively in each ethnic group were (a) British nationals and (b) foreign nationals on 30th June 1997 and (if available) 30th June 1998. (HL3097)
The Lord Beaumont of Whitley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they propose to take to help Caribbean banana producers following the agreement of European Union agricultural ministers to end their preferential tariff regime. (HL3098)
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether police officers who carry CS spray when on duty inside football grounds are given special training as to its use. (HL3099)
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they consider is appropriate following the research carried out by the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital into the effects of CS sprays upon incoming patients and their treatment. (HL3100)
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current position with regard to operational trials of the water-based CS spray which has been developed by Surrey; and whether there has been any advance on the development of a synthetic pepper spray which could be used as an alternative to CS. (HL3101)
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the use of CS spray has caused the number of attacks on police officers to drop significantly; and whether it has proved to be a valuable tool for women police officers targeted for attack by criminals. (HL3102)
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they believe is appropriate following the views expressed by the National Association for Mental Health (MIND) and the Mental Health Act Commission regarding the police use of CS spray to restrain psychiatric patients in their homes and on hospital wards. (HL3103)
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is reliable evidence that the risk of injury from the use of CS spray is much lower than that from police batons. (HL3104)
The Lord Ironside—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in respect of High Court proceedings involving plaintiffs in the Legal Aid Board’s multi-party action seeking compensation for injuries caused by radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer. (HL3105)
The Lord Ironside—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in respect of question HL3105, what is the total number of plaintiffs presently involved in this multi-party action and how many have qualified for legal aid; how many cases have been brought to trial; how many have been settled in or out of court, rejected or withdrawn and in each case what damages and awards of costs were made; how many cases are still awaiting trial and what dates have been set for them. (HL3106)
The Lord Ironside—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in respect of question HL3105, when it is expected that all cases listed in the multi-party action are going to be settled in or out of court and otherwise rejected or withdrawn. (HL3107)
The Lord Ironside—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in respect of question HL3105, which Hospital Authorities and Radiotherapy Treatment Centres are included in the list of defendants and how many cases are related to each one of them. (HL3108)
The Lord Ironside—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in respect of question HL3105, what are the total costs incurred to date by the firm of solicitors acting for the plaintiffs under contract to the Legal Aid Board, covering generic and individual case issues, as well as damages and cost awards in cases that have been settled in or out of court and those that have been rejected or withdrawn. (HL3109)
The Lord Ironside—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the randomised clinical trial (START), designed to establish whether or not fraction sizes greater than 2 Gy lead to improved results in radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer, has begun; what the total cost of the trial is expected to be; how many United Kingdom Radiotherapy Treatment Centres have qualified as participants and when the trial will be completed. (HL3110)
The Lord Ewing of Kirkford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications were received during the course of 1998 from charities requesting the use of the Great Hall at Edinburgh Castle to hold a fund raising charity event. (HL3111)
The Lord Ewing of Kirkford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish in the Official Report a list of the charities granted the use of the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle to hold a fund raising event; together with the dates of the events. (HL3112)
The Lord Ewing of Kirkford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date each successful applicant for the use of the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle submitted its application to hold a fund raising event for charity; and on what date they were advised that their application had been granted. (HL3113)
The Lord Ewing of Kirkford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish in the Official Report a list of the organisations whose application to have the use of the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle to hold a fund raising event for charity was refused. (HL3114)
The Lord Ewing of Kirkford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date each unsuccessful applicant for the use of the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle submitted its application to hold a fund raising event for charity; and on what date they were advised that their application had been refused. (HL3115)
The Lord Ewing of Kirkford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criterion is applied in deciding which organisations should be granted the use of the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle to hold a fund raising event for charity and which others should be refused. (HL3116)
The Lord Kennet—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider, in the light of the increasing uses being made for political, social, economic and military purposes of space, it may now be desirable to set up an internationally agreed framework to develop and enforce international law in space. (HL3117)
The Lord Kennet—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will inform the CIA that the United Kingdom did not “obtain its independence” in the early nineteenth century as the CIA states in its “Homepage-for-Kids” on the Internet. (HL3118)
The Lord Kennet—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in pursuance of the policy expressed by the Foreign Secretary on 17th July (HC Deb, col. 682) that “key decisions on peacekeeping and conflict prevention are taken to the United Nations”, they will take steps to place the United Nations Command in Korea under full United Nations Security Council control and to update the mandate of that Command, especially as regards anti-personnel landmines. (HL3119)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to allocate any money to promote the euro in 1998-99 or in 1999-2000; and, if so, what is the projected budget. (HL3120)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any European Union funding is being provided for the promotion of the euro in the United Kingdom either in 1998-99 or in 1999-2000; and, if so, what are the projected sums. (HL3121)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government—
(a) to list for each Member State net and gross contributions to the European Union budget for the last year for which figures are available, including net receipts; and
(b) to break down net and gross contributions for each Member State by household and population. (HL3122)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in view of M. Santer’s forthcoming report on the European Union’s budgetary resources, the question of the United Kingdom rebate is still set in stone. (HL3123)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask the Leader of the House whether the reports of the House of Lords’ Select Committee on the European Communities receive adequate publicity and are circulated widely enough; and, if not, what action he intends to take to increase publicity for and increase circulation of the reports. (HL3124)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Williams of Mostyn on 22nd July (WA 118), whether it is a statutory requirement of section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 to establish a central register of firearm holders or whether the creation of such a register is dependent on the Association of Chief Police Officers’ assessment of its operational priority. (HL3125)
The Lord Islwyn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering giving any guidance to local authorities about car parking charges for the disabled in town centres. (HL3126)
The Lord Islwyn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage in-town as against out-of-town shopping. (HL3127)
BILLS IN PROGRESS
[The date in brackets is the date for which the bill is set down]
Waiting for Second Reading
Finance (No. 2) (Money Bill—2nd July) [29th July]
Prime Minister (Ecclesiastical Functions) [HL]
Criminal Appeal (Amendment) [HL] [28th July]
Registration of Political Parties
Recommitted to an Unopposed Bill Committee
London Local Authorities [HL]
Committed to a Committee of the Whole House
Pharmacists [HL]
Regional Development Agencies
Scotland [28th July]
Waste Minimisation
Waiting for Report
Lord Chancellor (Tenure of Office) (Amendment) [HL]
European Parliamentary Elections
Waiting for Third Reading
Pensions (Amendment) [HL] [29th July]
City of Edinburgh (Guided Busways) Order Confirmation [28th July]
City of Westminster [HL]
Sent to the Commons
Coordinated Universal Time [HL]
Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Amendment) [HL]
Geneva Conventions (Amendment) [HL]
British Nationality (St. Helena) [HL]
Human Rights [HL]
Local Government (Experimental Arrangements) [HL]
Business Improvement Districts [HL]
Electricity Generation [HL]
Mental Health (Amendment) (No. 2) [HL]
Building Regulations (Energy Rating Information) (Amendment) [HL]
Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) (Amendment) [HL]
Sexual Orientation Discrimination [HL]
Statute Law (Repeals) [HL]
Bodmin Moor Commons [HL]
Lloyds TSB [HL]
Alliance & Leicester plc (Group Reorganisation) [HL]
Waiting for consideration of Commons amendments
Returned to the Commons amended
Fireworks
Northern Ireland (Sentences)
National Minimum Wage
Tamar Bridge
Waiting for consideration of Commons reasons
Government of Wales [29th July]
Returned to the Commons with reasons
Waiting for Royal Assent
Landmines
Private Hire Vehicles (London)
AFFIRMATIVE INSTRUMENTS IN PROGRESS
Waiting for consideration by the Joint Committee
Draft Meat and Livestock Commission Levy (Variation) Scheme (Confirmation) Order 1998
Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (Amendment) Regulations 1998
Draft Security for Private Road Works (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 1998
Draft Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Procedure) Rules 1998
Draft Health and Safety at Work (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998
Draft Local Government (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998
DEREGULATION PROPOSALS IN PROGRESS
Proposals laid under s.3(3) referred to the Deregulation Committee
Draft Deregulation (Pipe-lines) Order 1998
Draft Deregulation (Occasional Licences) Order 1998
Proposal reported from the Deregulation Committee
Draft Deregulation (Weights and Measures) Order 1998
COMMITTEES
[Unless otherwise indicated, Committees meet in the Lords’ rooms
in the Committee Corridor as indicated in the daily broadsheets]
TUESDAY 28TH JULY
