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Lord Whitty: My Lords, certainly the outbreak was brought under control in that limited part of Scotland which was affected more rapidly than it was in England. To that extent, I would certainly applaud the actions of the Scottish authorities. However, the problem in England was that the disease had substantially spread all over the country before we realised it was there. One of the recommendations of
 
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the Court of Auditors was that we should have stopped all movements on day one. That is very much part of our contingency plan now.

Baroness Byford: My Lords, as the Minister knows well, a video was taken by Northumberland trading standards officers four days after the outbreak. The noble Lord kindly told me that he saw the video in 2002, whereas his parliamentary colleague Ben Bradshaw said that he saw it in September 2003. Will the Minister clarify who saw it first, when, and what action was taken?

Lord Whitty: My Lords, the video tape was taken by Northumberland County Council, as the noble Baroness says, just after the outbreak. The Defra vet to whom she referred was also present. It was then kept by Northumberland County Council for the prosecution of Bobby Waugh, the owner of the farm where the disease originated and was used in evidence. At that point—when the case against him was found—the video was in the public domain and was on the national media, at which point I saw it. At no point prior to that had I or any other Defra Minister seen it, and of course my colleague Ben Bradshaw was not a Minister at that time. It was a video kept in the possession of Northumberland County Council as evidence in a particular case.

Business

Lord Grocott: My Lords, I have a short statement about business on the last day before the Christmas Recess, that is Tuesday 21 December. It is simply to say that the usual channels have agreed that on that date the sitting will begin with Starred Questions at 11 am—and we will ensure that the lights are on.

Education Bill [HL]

Lord Filkin: My Lords, I beg to introduce a Bill to make provision about the inspection of schools, childminding, day-care nursery education and careers services; to make other provision about school education; to make provision about the training of persons who work in schools and other persons who teach; about the supply of personal information for purposes related to education; and about the attendance of children and educational provision outside schools and for connected purposes. I beg to move that this Bill be now read a first time.

Moved, That the Bill be now read a first time.—(Lord Filkin.)

On Question, Bill read a first time, and ordered to be printed.
 
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Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [HL]

Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform

Human Rights

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): My Lords, I beg to move the three Motions standing in my name on the Order Paper.

Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [HL]

Moved, That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following Lords be named of the Select Committee on the Bill:

E. Arran, L. Carlile of Berriew, B. Finlay of Llandaff, B. Hayman, B. Jay of Paddington, L. Joffe, L. McColl of Dulwich, L. Mackay of Clashfern, (Chairman) L. Patel, Bp. St Albans, L. Taverne, B. Thomas of Walliswood, L. Turnberg;

That the committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the committee have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the minutes of evidence taken before the committee from time to time shall, if the committee think fit, be printed;

That the proceedings of the committee on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [HL] in the last Session of Parliament be referred to the committee; and

That the committee do meet on Thursday 2 December.

Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform

Moved, That a Select Committee be appointed to report whether the provisions of any Bill inappropriately delegate legislative power, or whether they subject the exercise of legislative power to an inappropriate degree of parliamentary scrutiny; to report on documents and draft orders laid before Parliament under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001; and to perform, in respect of such documents and orders and subordinate provisions orders laid under that Act, the functions performed in respect of other instruments by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following Lords be named of the committee:

L. Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, B. Carnegy of Lour, L. Dahrendorf (Chairman), L. Desai, L. Garden,
 
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L. Harrison, B. Scott of Needham Market, L. Shaw of Northstead, L. Temple-Morris;

That the committee have power to adjourn from place to place within the United Kingdom;

That the committee have power to appoint specialist advisers.—(The Chairman of Committees.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

Human Rights

Moved, That a Select Committee of six Lords be appointed to join with a committee appointed by the Commons as the Joint Committee on Human Rights:

To consider:

(a) matters relating to human rights in the United Kingdom (but excluding consideration of individual cases);

(b) proposals for remedial orders, draft remedial orders and remedial orders made under Section 10 of and laid under Schedule 2 to the Human Rights Act 1998; and

(c) in respect of draft remedial orders and remedial orders, whether the special attention of the House should be drawn to them on any of the grounds specified in Standing Order 74 (Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments);

To report to the House:

(a) in relation to any document containing proposals laid before the House under paragraph 3 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether a draft order in the same terms as the proposals should be laid before the House; or

(b) in relation to any draft order laid under paragraph 2 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether the draft order should be approved;

and to have power to report to the House on any matter arising from its consideration of the said proposals or draft orders; and

To report to the House in respect of any original order laid under paragraph 4 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether:

(a) the order should be approved in the form in which it was originally laid before Parliament; or

(b) that the order should be replaced by a new order modifying the provisions of the original order; or

(c) that the order should not be approved,

and to have power to report to the House on any matter arising from its consideration of the said order or any replacement order;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the Lords following be named of the committee:

L. Bowness, L. Campbell of Alloway, B. Falkner of Margravine, L. Judd, L. Plant of Highfield, B. Stern;
 
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That the committee have power to agree with any committee appointed by the Commons in the appointment of a chairman;

That the quorum of the committee shall be two;

That the committee have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the minutes of evidence taken before the Human Rights Committee in the last Session of Parliament be referred to the committee;

That the minutes of evidence taken before the committee from time to time shall, if the committee think fit, be printed.—(The Chairman of Committees.)

On Question, Motion agreed to; and a message was ordered to be sent to the Commons to acquaint them therewith.

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