Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

One further matter has not been addressed in any way by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Wallace. The noble Lord, Lord Low, asked a very important question that has not been addressed. From the vantage of the Cross Benches, he said that the usual channels were clogged, which was unfortunate for Parliament, and that ways and means should be found properly to enter into a dialogue. At that, the noble Lord, Lord McNally, said that the Government were ready to enter properly into dialogue. The fact of entering into dialogue is not in itself important; it depends on the spirit in which that dialogue is entered into. Given the concessions which my noble friend has already made on behalf of the Opposition and to avoid yet further lengthy discussions on this Bill, I hope the noble Lord, Lord McNally, will confirm that, when those negotiations are entered into, the Government will be ready to look objectively at the points that have been made and will not enter into a diktat or threaten guillotines but will seek to find a reasonable way through. In my judgment, that means that we have still not received a response to the very important question raised by the noble Lord, Lord Low, objectively and rationally, in an attempt to return to the values and practices that this House values.