Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, there appears to be a degree of confusion in what the noble Baroness has told the House. As I understood it, she said that the committee's terms of reference were open to discussion; but at the same time, she closed the door on the terms of reference covering composition. If I am wrong about that, perhaps she will be kind enough to explain exactly where we stand. Secondly, a number...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, on behalf of these Benches I also welcome the repetition of the Statement by the noble Baroness the Leader of the House. I welcome what appears to be a sensible outcome to the latest review by the royal trustees. However, I mention in passing that the report to which the Statement refers was not available in the Printed Paper Office at 3.45 this afternoon. It would be helpful to all...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, on behalf of these Benches, I too thank the Leader of the House for repeating today the Statement made by the Prime Minister elsewhere. I too welcome the outcome on what we call "tax evasion". I agree that it is an excellent agreement both for the United Kingdom and for the European Union. I find no embarrassment on this occasion in congratulating the Chancellor on his achievement....
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for making the Statement so promptly today. If Black Rod wrote to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police three weeks ago, it is a little disturbing that we have not yet heard the outcome of his inquiry. I am somewhat confused--I acknowledge that the fault may be mine--that on this occasion Black Rod wrote to the head of...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I welcome the Motion standing in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Rees-Mogg, although I cannot support it. I welcome it because I hope that it has cleared the air and removed some misunderstandings because with hindsight--I emphasise "with hindsight"--I think there might have been a better way of introducing the inquiry of the noble Lord, Lord Neill, to the House; in other words,...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I do not think that that is a serious and adult way of approaching this matter. Common sense should prevail. We have had a four-hour debate during which we have all had an opportunity to express our views. All noble Lords who wished to take part could have done so. Why should we cover the ground again if a decision can be reached today? I think that we should come to a decision. It...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I, too, from these Benches, welcome the bold and far-ranging Motion of the noble Lord, Lord Peston. It will result in something of a portfolio of a debate, with many rather different ideas about somewhat unrelated subjects, but it need not be the worse for that. I very much liked the tone of the noble Lord's remarks; it was what I would call "moderate radicalism". He was looking at...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, from these Benches I welcome the announcement made by the noble Baroness of a commission of real quality and experience. The noble Baroness is right to say that there is a significant concession by the Prime Minister on the question of patronage. As she has made clear, there is a distinction between this commission and that proposed in chapter 13 of the report of the noble Lord,...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, is it not right that the House should not be too touchy about this matter? We pride ourselves on being one of the two Houses of Parliament. The House has had a certain measure of reform. Individual Members of the House can deal with the Neill Committee in the way they choose. As the Minister said, the House will decide. If we are too touchy about the matter will it not suggest that...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, has done as well as any Minister could have done in replying to so diverse a debate. I thank the Minister on behalf of the other 14 contributors for all that he has said, and for the fact that, in so far as he has failed to answer any specific questions, his Private Secretary will be busy making sure that there are letters for him to sign. The noble...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: rose to call attention to the provision of essential services to communities in particular need, including banking, post office facilities, transport and health; and to move for Papers. My Lords, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. This is a debate about two nations, but not as conventionally understood. It is not a debate about the distribution of income and...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for repeating the Prime Minister's Statement. Despite some discussion of Kosovo and of Russia, the Lisbon summit has been given the convenient title of "the Internet summit". That is what I shall address my remarks to. As the House will recall, the whole question of the preliminary paper for the Lisbon summit was discussed by the...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, on behalf of these Benches I greatly welcome and thank the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for repeating the Statement made in another place by the Prime Minister, although at this hour it is inevitably to a rather thin House with fewer than 30 noble Lords present. In so far as there is to be more money for the National Health Service, we welcome that without reserve. To that...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lords, Lord Jopling and Lord Waddington, would put that proposition to the Leader of the House and see whether she takes the same view of the independence of the Liberal Democrats.
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, despite a speech of substance and interest from the Leader of the House--I must confess that she said more than I had expected in regard to the report and the Government's attitude to it--we are debating a report that is cautious rather than radical. Most of the arguments contained in it are familiar to this place; and some difficult decisions have plainly been ducked. Despite its...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I do not think that I want to enter into the privacy of those bilateral discussions. The noble Lord and the House can draw their own conclusions. Indeed, I made it as plain as I could within parliamentary language.
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I could indeed do that. I have a piece of paper in my pocket now which I could read out to the House. It might be something regarded in a court of law as an affidavit. However, I think that it is in the interests of the Government Front Bench that I do not do so.
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I undertake to show it to the noble Baroness the Leader of the House and, if she agrees, to arrange to put it in the Library of the House.
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, I understand that the Government's proposals restrict the freedom of information in a way that many of us would hope for. On this occasion, I have been considerate towards the Government Benches, if they only recognised it. I shall say no more about the appointments commission except that it makes good sense. It will help to rebalance the House after each election. My only doubt is...
Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: My Lords, leaving aside the particular circumstances today, I believe that the House will welcome what the noble and learned Lord has said. But when the usual channels have had their discussions, is this not an appropriate matter for wider discussion in the Procedure Committee? Will he promise that it will go there in due course?