Business of the House

Monday 7th November 2011 Lords Chamber

Motion to Approve

15:07

Moved by Lord Strathclyde

That leave be given to advance the Third Reading of the Education Bill, which had been set down for 14 November, to 9 November.

[Baroness Royall of Blaisdon]

My Lords, will the noble Lord the Leader of the House confirm that it is the practice in this House that noble Lords answer on behalf of the Government as a whole, not just on behalf of their own departments?

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde)]

My Lords, I am so pleased that the noble Baroness took the opportunity to ask me that question. I confirm that what she has just said is exactly right: from this Dispatch Box, Ministers are expected to speak on behalf of the whole Government. Interestingly enough, having just witnessed a slight disagreement about that in a Question to my noble friend Lord Freud, I think that he meant to say that the questions he was being asked were beyond the scope of the Question on the Order Paper, which would have been entirely in keeping with the spirit and practice of the House.

Motion agreed.