HOUSE OF LORDS
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Die Martis 11° Februarii 2003
The House met at half-past two o’clock.
PRAYERS were read by the Lord Bishop of Lichfield.
1. Earldom of Limerick in the Peerage of Ireland and Barony of Foxford in the Peerage of the United Kingdom—The Petitions of Edmund Christopher Pery claiming to have succeeded to the Earldom of Limerick in the Peerage of Ireland and the Barony of Foxford in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and praying that the Clerk of the Parliaments might be directed to enter the petitioner as the Earl of Limerick (Lord Foxford) on his register of hereditary peers maintained under Standing Order 10(5) were presented and were referred to the Lord Chancellor to consider and report upon to the House pursuant to Standing Orders 80 and 11.
Judicial Business
2. Rahman (t/a Khayam Restaurant) (Petitioner) v. Her Majesty’s Commissioners of Customs and Excise (Respondents)—The petition of Mohamed Hafiz Rahman praying for leave to appeal notwithstanding that the time limited by Standing Order II has expired was presented and referred to an Appeal Committee.
3. Buchanan (Appellant) v. Alba Diagnostics Limited (Respondents) (Scotland)—The petition of the appellant praying that the time for lodging the statement and appendix and setting down the cause for hearing might be extended to 10th February (the agents for the respondents consenting thereto) was presented; and it was ordered as prayed (lodged 30th December).
4. Buchanan (Appellant) v. Alba Diagnostics Limited (Respondents) (Scotland)—The statement and appendix having been lodged on 10th February, the petition of appeal was referred to the Appeal Committee to consider its admissibility pursuant to the order of the House of 16th October last.
5. Appeal Committee—The 25th Report from the Appeal Committee was agreed to and the following Order was made—
Lawal (Petitioner) v. Northern Spirit Limited—That leave to appeal be given; and that the petition of appeal be lodged by 25th February.
Papers
6. Command Paper—The following paper was presented to the House by command of Her Majesty and ordered to lie on the Table:
Civil Service—Government Response to the Eighth Report of the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, Session 2001-02: “These Unfortunate Events”. (5756)
7. Affirmative Instrument—The following instrument was laid before the House for approval by resolution and ordered to lie on the Table:
Draft Asylum (Designated States) Order 2003, laid under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, together with an Explanatory Memorandum.
8. Papers not subject to parliamentary proceedings—The following papers were laid before the House and ordered to lie on the Table:
1. Report and Accounts for 2001-02 of the Imperial War Museum, together with the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, laid under the Museums and Galleries Act 1992;
2. Accounts for 2001-02 of the Land Purchase Account, Northern Ireland, together with the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, laid under the Northern Ireland Land Purchase (Winding Up) Act 1935.
Select Committee Reports
9. Statutory Instruments—The 10th Report from the Joint Committee was made on certain statutory instruments, including the following affirmative instruments:
Draft Guaranteed Minimum Pensions Increase Order 2003;
Draft Maximum Number of Judges Order 2003;
Draft Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) (Codes B to E) Order 2003;
Draft Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2003;
it was ordered that the Report be printed. (HL Paper 52)
10. European Union—The following Reports from the Select Committee were made and ordered to be printed, together with the Minutes of Evidence:
EU—Effective in a Crisis? (7th Report-HL Paper 53)
Evidence by the Greek Ambassador on the Greek Presidency; and by the Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on the Copenhagen European Council. (8th Report-HL Paper 54)
Public Business
11. Ministerial and other Salaries (Amendment) Bill [HL]—A bill to amend the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 was presented by the Lord Goodhart, read a first time and ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 31)
12. House of Lords (Amendment) Bill [HL]—A bill to repeal the provision for by-elections of hereditary peers under the House of Lords Act 1999 was presented by the Lord Weatherill, read a first time and ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 32)
13. Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee reported that it had considered the draft Order.
14. Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee reported that it had considered the draft Order.
15. Strategic Investment and Regeneration of Sites (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—It was moved by the Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) that the draft Order laid before the House on 14th January be approved; then it was moved by the Lord Smith of Clifton, as an amendment thereto, at end to insert “but this House regrets the omission of representatives from both the business and community sectors on the proposed Strategic Investment Board who would ensure that the Board would be a model of social partnership and would reflect the need to involve key stakeholders as called for in the report of the PPP Working Group, Review of Opportunities for Public Private Partnerships in Northern Ireland”; after debate, the amendment was disagreed to (see division list 1); then the original motion was agreed to.
16. Courts Bill [HL]—The House again resolved itself into a Committee upon the bill; amendments were moved and (by leave of the Committee) withdrawn; an amendment was disagreed to (see division list 2); the House was resumed.
17. Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2003—It was moved by the Lord Evans of Temple Guiting that the draft Order laid before the House on 12th December 2002 be approved; after debate, the motion was agreed to.
The House was adjourned during pleasure.
The House was resumed.
18. Courts Bill [HL]—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 after clause 78 stood part.
The House was adjourned at three minutes past ten o’clock
till tomorrow, half-past two o’clock.
MICHAEL DAVIES
Cler: Parliamentor:
CORRECTION
In yesterday’s Minutes of Proceedings the following item, which was included in item 12 (Papers not subject to parliamentary proceedings), should have appeared as an Affirmative Instrument:
Draft Code of Practice on Time Off for Trade Union Duties and Activities, laid under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. | 
