House of Lords Bill [HL]

My Lords, I join in congratulating the noble Lord, Lord Steel, on so ably moving the Second Reading of this Bill and in paying tribute to my noble friend Lord Norton for his contribution to the drafting of the Bill following the meetings chaired by Sir Patrick Cormack. I had some sympathy with the noble Lord, Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank, when he referred to Richmal Crompton’s books, Just William, More William, and William Again, in continually returning to the charge on constitutional reform along with his wish for a moratorium. I recollect that William’s dog was called Jumble. We have seen quite a lot of jumble in all this. I also recollect that when William, Ginger, Douglas and Henry, who were called appropriately enough The Outlaws, tormented Violet Elizabeth Bott, she used to say, ““I’ll scream and scream and scream till I’m sick””. I suspect that many noble Lords will share that feeling. I share in the growing consensus that the provisions of this Bill are in the public interest. It is timely to enact a statutory commission as was proposed by the Government and was in the Queen’s Speech. The non-statutory appointments process chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson of Coddenham, has worked effectively, as my noble and learned friend Lord Howe of Aberavon pointed out. The House’s composition now reflects the variety of British society and many of its skills. But the time has surely come to put the commission on to a statutory basis so that the House can act as an adequate check on the Executive and contain people from all walks of life, experience and expertise. I agree that the part of the Bill empowering your Lordships' House to make provision under its Standing Orders for Peers to be granted permanent leave of absence, as opposed to the present arrangement for purely a Parliament, or the remainder of a Parliament, is sensible. This would clearly make it easier for the commission to calculate the number of life peerages that it may wish to recommend in any year. I find myself, as so frequently, agreeing with the noble Viscount, Lord Bledisloe, that some help should be given to people who are infirm. Indeed, were one to remove by one means or another those who had zero attendance in this place in a given year, or less than 10 per cent of the sittings, that would go a very long way to meeting the aspirations as regards the numbers that are generally thought to be appropriate. Clause 10, which closes off the so-called by-election procedure for the hereditary Peers, is now timely. The 92 excepted Peers are universally acknowledged to have made a distinguished contribution towards the proceedings of your Lordships' House since 1999, and it is surely right that in future hereditary Peers should have the same right as anybody else to be nominated for a life peerage. However, this Bill would constitute stage two of Lords reform, as envisaged by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Irvine of Lairg, who I am glad to see in his place. If the Lord Chancellor produces further suggestions for reform and consensus can be found on such issues as powers, electoral systems, financial packages, the balance and size of the House and diversity and gender, so be it, but these have proved more elusive and I suspect will continue to be so. Let us take the opportunity of acting now so that your Lordships' House can continue for the time being as an effective revising and deliberative Chamber. I am no son of the manse but I echo the noble Lord, Lord Steel of Aikwood, and say to the Minister, we applaud your listening stance, ““Lead kindly light throughout the encircling gloom””.