Economic Affairs Committee

Tuesday 22nd June 2010 Lords Chamber

Membership Motion

15:24

Moved by The Chairman of Committees

Economic Affairs

That a Select Committee be appointed to consider economic affairs and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

L Best, L Currie of Marylebone, L Forsyth of Drumlean, L Hollick, B Kingsmill, L Lawson of Blaby, L Levene of Portsoken, L Lipsey, L MacGregor of Pulham Market (Chairman), L Maclennan of Rogart, L Moonie, L Smith of Clifton, L Tugendhat;

That the Committee have power to appoint a sub-committee and to refer to it any of the matters within the Committee’s terms of reference; that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairman of the sub-committee;

That the Committee have power to co-opt any member to serve on the sub-committee;

That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the Reports of the Committee shall be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;

That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;

That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committee shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published.

[Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe]

My Lords, I think that the Motion will be agreed to in due course. I do not raise a question about the names of those who are nominated; I raise a question about the terms of reference under which the committee operates. I find it staggering that we have such an assembly today with such a paucity of business on the agenda. We have a Budget announcement today. We have a new Leader of the House who, when he was in opposition, consistently argued that there should be an opportunity for a debate on Budgets. As budgetary issues will be the major topic that the country will face for the coming years, at least the Economic Affairs Committee should look at that topic to see whether there are means whereby the expertise, skills, knowledge and experience that we have in this House can be brought to bear occasionally with a debate on the Budget. I trust that the Chairman of Committees will take that back and, I hope, make an amendment in due course.

[The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara)]

I am glad to say that the arrangement of business is not a matter for me, but I am sure that the usual channels will have heard the points that the noble Lord, Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe, made. I am only disappointed that the noble Lord, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, the leader of the UK Independence Party, is not here to raise a question on the European Union Committee. I am disappointed that he has failed to appear this year. Nevertheless, other noble Lords have made up very well for his absence.

With the leave of the House, I beg to move that the Motion be agreed to.

Motion agreed.