Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill

My Lords, I rise to support the amendment moved by my noble friend Lord Cormack for the reasons t...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Trimble, who, as a Nobel Peace Prize wi...

My Lords, I regret to tell the Committee that the Liberal Democrats cannot support these amendmen...

I support what the noble Baroness, Lady Harris, has just said—in contradiction to what Lord Corma...

As indeed does the Labour Party. I understand the rationale behind the amendments. We are in the ...

I can see the logic—and, indeed, the power—of the noble Lord’s argument about a deadline leading ...

That is because we are not dealing with Brexit at the moment, but with Northern Ireland. Had we r...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Murphy, said that Parliament is losing patience. It is more seriou...

Is the Minister aware of what has happened with deadlines in the past in Northern Ireland, and th...

I am fully aware of that, but I am also aware of how long there has been no government in Norther...

I very much sympathise with the Minister’s sentiments and the logic of his arguments but, on the ...

The noble Lord again brings his experience to the debate. We cannot keep funding futility, howeve...

My apologies for interrupting the Minister, but following on from what has just been said about s...

The noble Lord takes me into even deeper waters—and we are only in the first half hour of what ma...

My Lords, I always listen carefully to what my noble friend says, but on this occasion I have to ...

Moved by

Lord Anderson of Ipswich

6: Clause 3, page 2, line 16, at end insert “, whic...

My Lords, Clause 3 already provides for the publication of regular reports on progress towards th...

My Lords, is the noble Lord right to describe what happened in 1948 as a technical matter? It was...

What happened in 1948 was a prorogation to give effect to the provision of the Parliament Act 191...

Would the noble Lord also remind the Committee that in 1948 there was, relatively speaking, a han...

I am very grateful to the noble Lord for the point he makes. However, getting hung up on an entir...

It may help to remind the Committee that the position to which the 1948 prorogation gave effect w...

The noble Baroness makes another very good point. I refer to 1948 simply to say, first, that pror...

My Lords, I rise very briefly to support the amendment which the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, has a...

My Lords, if I may, I tabled an amendment to this amendment, which I believe under procedure shou...

I am very happy to sit down.

My Lords, we are speaking to Amendment 6 at the moment. The amendment is to Amendment 7.

Sure. Okay.

3.45 pm

I am very grateful to the noble Countess, Lady Mar, for her intervention. Perhaps I might revert ...

My Lords, I invite the noble Lord, Lord True, to speak. All amendments are in the same group, and...

I thank the noble Lord. I think it would be helpful for the House to hear the other side of the r...

Will my noble friend tell your Lordships whether he favours suspending Parliament to prevent the ...

I will come to Prorogation latter. It is reasonable to deploy an argument; it is also reasonable ...

As—I feel I should state—the husband of a former partner in Mishcon de Reya, can I ask the noble ...

Whether judicial review should be limited will be a matter for whichever judge the case is put be...

My Lords—

I need to make progress, but I shall take one more intervention.

I am trying to follow my noble friend’s thoughts. Is he arguing in favour of an elected judiciary...

My Lords, I construe the statute law that lies before us and have expounded it to the Committee j...

My Lords, I very much look forward to serving with the noble Lord, Lord True, on your Lordships’ ...

Will the noble Lord give way?

Can I just finish the sentence? The noble Lord referred as a matter of criticism, as he sees it, ...

My Lords, I will deal with the noble Lord’s condescending condemnations later. I ask him to withd...

I am not referring to particular citizens; I am referring to the very clearly expressed statement...

My Lords, I am extremely grateful to the noble Lord, Lord True, for taking up my invitation to sp...

My Lords, I support my noble friend Lord True in his amendment and congratulate those noble Lords...

My Lords, the Government had a date to do that: 29 March. That date has been put back. To claim t...

We have just heard speeches from the other side of the House against the amendment of my noble fr...

I accept the result of the referendum, as my noble friend knows only too well, but the people did...

I turn to the use of the phrase, “leaving without a deal”. Deals have already been made on citize...

The point that my noble friend is skirting around is that Parliament—both this House and the othe...

Does my noble friend agree that there was an overwhelming majority to pass a law which states tha...

Does the noble Lord recognise that if we leave without a deal at the end of October, we will leav...

I do not recognise that but I can understand why, as a member of the Liberal Party, the noble Lor...

I am so sorry to interrupt the noble Lord, but he may know that I voted to leave the EU—and, if a...

I am most grateful to the noble Baroness for the support she has given to what the majority of pe...

My Lords, before the noble Lord resumes his seat—I see he already has—could he just explain why, ...

Yes. I voted for Mr Johnson —I look forward to him becoming Prime Minister—because he seems to un...

My Lords, with great respect to the noble Lord, I do not think he has answered my question. In th...

I recall hearing complaints not so long ago from the Front Bench of the noble Baroness that this ...

Will my noble friend give way?

May I just deal with one point first?

Of course, I am so sorry.

We should be dealing with the series of arrangements that will need to be made when we leave the ...

My noble friend has not addressed the very question asked by the noble Baroness: that is, what do...

I do not think for a moment that he is, and I do not think that the House of Commons is able to c...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, who is one of the most ...

If I may respond to that point, what the noble Lord says is absolutely right, but the Prime Minis...

The noble Lord chided the number of lawyers taking part in this debate. I have certainly practise...

My Lords, the critical issue, which the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, would not answer in my noble fr...

The noble Lord, Lord Pannick, laid much emphasis on motive. The motive was to prevent the House o...

The motive was to pass a new Parliament Act amending the Parliament Act 1911 under its own provis...

The noble Lord is talking nonsense. I do not believe that Prorogation is an issue. He is quite ri...

That is a very silly debating point if I may say so. The key issue is that he said that he did no...

Unless he calls a general election.

I think my noble friend is referring to 1974. I have looked that up. Parliament met at the end of...

My Lords, I think it is fair to say that this has been a robust debate. Obviously, I support the ...

My Lords, I expect that in years to come constitutional scholars will study this debate and explo...

I thank the Minister for giving way. If the Bill serves a principal and single purpose, why are t...

The noble Baroness raised those points before. I say once again that the question of scope is not...

I thank the Minister for giving way. I am intrigued by his argument that there are other ways in ...

The noble Baroness almost got me on that one, but she will not be surprised to know that I, too, ...

Does my noble friend the Minister agree that it is always right that the Government should be acc...

It would be easy to answer that in a simple way, but I suspect that tucked inside the question is...

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister and noble Lords, and for the support that these amendment...

Amendment 7A falls as it is an amendment to Amendment 7.

Moved by

Lord Bruce of Bennachie

8: Clause 3, page 2, line 21, at end insert—

“...

My Lords, Amendments 8 and 22 are Liberal Democrat amendments in my name and that of my noble fri...

My Lords, I support my noble friend on this amendment. When we were discussing this issue on 27 F...

My Lords, the proverbial visitor from outer space might have been somewhat surprised a short time...

My Lords, I firmly believe that there should be full openness and transparency regarding donation...

There is something which is right about the amendments tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Bruce: the ...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Bruce of Bennachie, raises an important matter through Amendment 8...

I am grateful to the Minister for accepting Amendment 8, which, as I said, does exactly what it s...

Moved by

Lord Adonis

9: Clause 3, page 2, line 21, at end insert—

“( ) The repo...

My Lords, a few moments ago, the noble Lord, Lord Empey, said that the great and the good had fle...

I was a Minister in Northern Ireland during the period. The committee was headed by Lockwood, who...

My Lords, the statement just made by the noble Lord would be deeply contested within Northern Ire...

My Lords, I declare an interest: I taught in the University of Ulster. I hesitate to interrupt, b...

There may be very good reasons for such decisions being taken, my Lords, but that does affect the...

My Lords, I was the Minister responsible for further and higher education for some three and a ha...

My Lords, I agree with the noble Lords, Lord Adonis and Lord Empey, in their support for the prop...

I greatly appreciate what the noble Lord and the noble Lord, Lord Empey, have said in respect of ...

I defer to the noble Lord on the figures and I accept that there is an issue in this. I understan...

I understand that point. Of course the city of Derry would be enhanced by a larger university pre...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving way. Having worked in Northern Ireland, he will realis...

It would not be for me or anyone else in the House to determine that. It would be a matter for th...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Adonis, has raised important issues and I am grateful to him for d...

My Lords, that is an extremely constructive response on the part of the Minister, and I welcome i...

My understanding is that they do not, but I will write to the noble Lord to clarify that matter.<...

I would be extremely grateful if the Minister could do that. In the light of the assurance he has...

Moved by

Lord Cormack

10: Clause 3, page 2, line 38, leave out from “Parliament” to e...

My Lords, Amendment 10 and Amendment 18, which immediately follows it in the grouping, stand in m...

My Lords, looking at Amendment 10, the key thing I see is,

“offering a consultation with th...

My Lords, I cannot endorse the words of the noble Lord, Lord Trimble, too strongly. He is absolut...

My Lords, I rise very briefly to speak about Amendment 18A, a manuscript amendment standing in my...

My Lords, at Second Reading on 10 July in this House, the Minister opening the debate said,