Overseas Relations and International
Assemblies
33. The recent growth in contacts between the
House and overseas parliaments and international assemblies continued.
34. The Lord Chancellor was represented by Lord
Tordoff, Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees, at the annual
meeting of European Speakers, held in Stockholm in June 1998.
Visits from overseas parliaments included those by the Scrutiny
of Acts and Regulations Committee from Victoria, Australia, and
the Chairman and other Members of the Czech Senate.
35. Members of the House continued to serve on
the UK delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe and to other assemblies. In November 1998 the Annual
Session of the North Atlantic Assembly was held in Edinburgh.
In January 1999 Lord Russell-Johnston was elected President of
the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly.
36. At official level, the Clerk of the Parliaments
continued as President of the Association of Secretaries General
of Parliaments and attended meetings in Namibia and Moscow. Officials
joined with Commons' officials in the development of a British
Parliamentary Co-operation programme for staff of the two Houses
of the Russian Parliament and an exchange of views between personnel
and training officers took place.
Membership
37. Thirty-six Life Peers were created and the
total number of those entitled to sit rose from 1,273 to 1,290.
The percentage of Peers by succession as a total of the House
has declined from 63 per cent in 1997 to 58 per cent in 1999.
(See Appendix C for full details.)
38. The average daily attendance at the House
continued to rise significantly. In 1998 it was 428; and between
January to March 1999 it increased to 458. These figures and recent
trend are illustrated below.
