Arrangement of Business

Earl of Erroll Excerpts

Tuesday 18th December 2012 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

My Lords, I think that perhaps the noble Lord, Lord Trees, in waiting to make his maiden speech, has seen how self-regulation takes place in this House. Sometimes the rules are so elastic that no one can predict the way in which our debates may extrapolate and develop into new realms.

[The Earl of Erroll]

My Lords, this Third Reading underlines the importance of returning to our previous custom of pressing amendments to a Division at the Committee stage as a matter of principle and then tidying up on Report. The practice of withdrawing amendments in Committee and then pressing them on Report is leading to this problem of tidying up at Third Reading. I think that we should return to our old custom of pressing most issues to a Division in Committee, even if they are deficient in some way, because the Report stage is for tidying up.