House of Lords: Financial Support for Members — Motion to Approve

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 6:51 pm on 14 December 2009.

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Photo of Baroness Butler-Sloss Baroness Butler-Sloss Crossbench 6:51, 14 December 2009

My Lords, it is imperative that this House now accepts for the time being the SSRB report, with all its manifest flaws. The present situation cannot continue, and there is nothing else on the table for us to take at this stage. I very much hope that an ad hoc committee will have the flexibility to deal with the large number of very good points made in the House today. The reputation of this House is at stake. It is not a question of abuse of the House by the majority of Peers-a minority may be at fault, and certainly there are allegations in that regard-but of perception. I am speaking in the debate because I am increasingly concerned about the perception of members of the public who watch BBC Parliament, and who will watch this debate. It will also be viewed by the press. If we do not wholeheartedly accept the Motion before the House, we will get very adverse publicity. We absolutely have to swallow this bitter pill, but I hope that the working party will ameliorate many aspects of it. It will be necessary at some stage-but not now-to consider the £140 payment for those who take a room for the night in London.

The method of establishing the principal residence may not be best achieved by counting the number of nights you sleep there because people take holidays and have other duties which may be London-based. I live in Devon but spend a lot of time in London and have other commitments, including with charities. All of us have children or grandchildren whom we want to see and will spend nights with them, not necessarily in one's flat or rented accommodation in London. The measure is a rather rough, cumbersome way of working out what a principal residence is, but that is a matter for the working party. These further considerations must not stop us accepting the report today.

I am anxious to be extremely short, bearing in mind the time, but I wish to make one further point. I pay for a part-time secretary for 12 months. Perhaps at a later stage we should press for secretaries to be employed by the House of Lords rather than being employed ad hoc by Members. That would get rid of the problem of coming in and sitting on a Bench in this Chamber in order to pay for one's secretary during the Summer Recess if one loses the 40 days.