House of Lords Act 1999 (Amendment) Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Butler of Brockwell and Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

Committee: 1st sitting (Hansard): House of Lords
Friday 9th December 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Butler of Brockwell (CB)]

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, has asked for an assurance from the Minister. She will correct me if I am wrong, but I think that she has given the assurance that the Government will not let this Bill pass, and that if it did pass in your Lordships’ House, the Government would not allow it to pass in the House of Commons. If the Minister will repeat that, I think that we can bring this procedure, which does no credit to this House, to an end.

[Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen]

My Lords, I think noble Lords will understand that I cannot give assurances about what happens in the other place; I can only state from this Dispatch Box the Government’s position at the moment.

[Lord Butler of Brockwell]

My Lords, surely, if the noble Baroness gives an assurance on the Government’s position, that will determine what happens in another place.

[Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen]

I have nothing to add to what I said earlier.