– in the House of Lords at 10:56 pm on 16 September 2003.
A message was received from the Commons that they have made the following order:
(1) There shall be a standing committee, called the Standing Committee on the Inter-Governmental Conference on the Future of Europe.
(2) At any sitting of the standing committee, the chairman may permit a Minister or Ministers to make statements on the inter-governmental conference, and questions may then be put thereon by Members:
Provided that no proceedings under this paragraph may continue after the expiry of a period of one and a half hours from their commencement, except with the leave of the chairman.
(3) At the conclusion of proceedings under paragraph (2), the committee may consider either of the following—
(a) when a written report has been laid before Parliament by a Minister or Ministers, a Motion proposed from the chair "That the committee has considered the report of [date] on the inter-governmental conference"; or
(b) a Motion for the adjournment of the committee, provided that a Minister of the Crown has given notice of a subject relating to the inter-governmental conference for the debate on the adjournment not later than five days before the sitting.
(4) (a) The chairman shall put any Questions necessary to dispose of the proceedings on any Motion under paragraph 3(a), if not previously concluded, when the committee shall have sat for two and a half hours; and the chairman shall thereupon report that the committee has considered the report of [date] on the inter-governmental conference, without putting any further Question;
(b) in case of a Motion under paragraph (3)(b), the chairman shall adjourn the committee without putting any question, not later than two and a half hours after the committee has begun sitting.
(5) (a) Notwithstanding
(b) any Member of the House, not being a member of the committee, may take part in the proceedings of the committee and be counted in the quorum, but shall not vote or make any Motion, except that any member of the government may move a Motion under paragraph (3)(b).
(6) Members of the House of Lords may participate in the committee's proceedings, but no member of that House may vote or make any Motion or be counted in the quorum. That this order be a Standing Order of the House until the end of the next Session of Parliament.
House adjourned at twenty minutes past eleven o'clock.
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
In a normal session there are up to ten standing committees on bills. Each has a chair and from 16 to 50 members. Standing committee members on bills are appointed afresh for each new bill by the Committee of Selection which is required to take account of the composition of the House of Commons (ie. party proportions) as well as the qualification of members to be nominated. The committees are chaired by a member of the Chairmen's Panel (whose members are appointed by the Speaker). In standing committees the Chairman has much the same function as the Speaker in the House of Commons. Like the Speaker, a chairman votes only in the event of a tie, and then usually in accordance with precedent. The committees consider each bill clause by clause and may make amendments. There are no standing committees in the House of Lords.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
