Procedure of the House

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Tuesday 18th June 2013 Lords Chamber

[The Chairman of Committees (Lord Sewel)]

My Lords, this report follows on from the decision on Back-Bench debates taken by the House in April. At that time, the Leader of the House proposed an increase in the number of Back-Bench QSDs. The report enables this intention to be implemented. It recommends that on days when a Grand Committee sits solely to consider Back-Bench Questions for Short Debate, the duration of such sittings should be extended from four hours to five hours. I beg to move.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock]

Can the noble Lord give us an absolute assurance that unlike the Procedure Committee’s report in the last Session, this will not have unintended consequences?

[The Chairman of Committees]

I think the logical problem at this stage is that I can give no guarantee that it will not have unintended consequences, because they will by definition be unintended.