Housing and Planning Bill - Commons Reasons and Amendments

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 5:30 pm on 10 May 2016.

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Photo of Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Conservative 5:30, 10 May 2016

My Lords, I do not wish to address any issues of policy in respect of the Bill or the merits or otherwise of the proposals contained in the Bill. Unlike my noble friend Lord True, I am not elected or standing for election, so perhaps my words to the noble Lord, Lord Kerslake, will be a little less diplomatic than those of others. I do not know how much time Members of this House spend talking to people in the other place as we go about our work. I love this House and I think it does a fantastic job, but there is increasing irritation at the other end of the corridor about the activities of this House, and we should take account of that. There are proposals to reduce our powers, to which I am very strongly opposed. I believe that there are major issues concerning the use of secondary legislation and the provision of Henry VIII clauses, and no doubt we will address those in the next Parliament.

I have always very strongly supported the idea that the Cross Benches should have an important presence and role in this House. Traditionally, the Cross Benches have been composed of people with great expertise—the noble Lord, Lord Kerslake, is a notable example—but they have always known where to draw the line and have respected the conventions of this House. We are in danger of crossing that line. I do not seek to argue whether the noble Lord’s view is correct or the Minister’s view is correct. What matters is that the other place has rejected this matter and has claimed financial privilege. As my noble friend Lord True has pointed out, the question of financial privilege is a matter for the elected House. We, in this House, have always respected the view that we do not put forward Motions in lieu where they have been rejected on the grounds of financial privilege in the past, and this is what we are in danger of doing this afternoon.

I hope that the noble Lord, Lord Kerslake, will show the same degree of sensitivity in his position on the Cross Benches as he did on the previous amendment. I supported him in some respects—although I regret the way in which the Government finally came to the right conclusion on some aspects of the Trade Union Bill—but he is in danger of looking like a Member of the Opposition and not a Cross-Bench Member if he proceeds to push this amendment against the conventions that have applied. The Opposition may disagree. We know the position of the Liberal Democrats—having lost their democratic position in the other place, they have made it clear from the start that they wish to raise their standard here.

I urge Members of the House to think carefully, because this House has a great and important role, and it will be undermined if we behave in a way that causes extreme irritation to the other place, which, after all, has been elected to do a job on manifesto commitments with which we are concerned today. I give way to my noble friend.