Business of the House

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Thursday 10th October 2013 Lords Chamber

Tabled by

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

That the debate on the Motion in the name of Lord Layard set down for today shall be limited to 3 hours and that in the name of Lord Kennedy of Southwark to 2 hours.

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Hill of Oareford) (Con)]

My Lords, I beg to move the first Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I should explain that this follows your Lordships’ agreement to the Procedure Committee’s second report of 25 July. That included the provision that where one balloted debate has at least twice as many speakers as another, a maximum of half an hour can be reallocated from the debate with fewer speakers to the more popular debate.

Motion agreed.

Prisoner Voting

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Thursday 10th October 2013 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

That, notwithstanding the Resolution of this House of 14 May, it be an instruction to the Joint Committee on the draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill that it should report by 18 December 2013.

Motion agreed.

Standing Orders (Public Business)

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Tuesday 30th July 2013 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

That the standing orders relating to public business be amended as follows:

Standing Order 40 (Arrangement of the Order Paper).

Electronic Deposit of Documents

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Tuesday 30th July 2013 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

That, in respect of any bill relating to High Speed 2 that is introduced into the House of Commons in Session 2013-14 and subsequently brought up from the House of Commons and to which the Standing Orders relating to private business are found by the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills to apply, it shall be sufficient compliance with:

(a) any requirement under those Standing Orders for a document to be deposited or delivered at, or sent to, an office of a government department, body or person if it is deposited or delivered at, sent to or otherwise made accessible at that office in electronic form;

(b) any requirement under those Standing Orders for a document to be deposited with an officer if it is deposited with or delivered, sent or otherwise made accessible to that officer in electronic form;

(c) any requirement under those Standing Orders for a document to be made available for inspection at a prescribed office, or to permit a document to be inspected, if it is made available for inspection at that office, or is permitted to be inspected, in electronic form;

(d) the requirement under Standing Order 27(7) or 36(3) relating to private business to permit a person to make copies of a document or extracts from it, if there is provided to that person, on request and within a reasonable time, copies of so much of it as the person may reasonably require and such copies may, if the person so agrees, be provided in electronic form;

(e) the requirement under Standing Order 27(7) relating to private business for a memorial to be made on every document deposited under that Standing Order, if the memorial is made on a separate document;

(f) any requirement under Standing Order 4A(1), 27A(5) or 83A(8) to make a document available for sale at prescribed offices, if it is made available for sale at an office in London.

That this order shall not affect any requirement under those Standing Orders to deposit any document at, or deliver any document to, the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments.

That any reference in those Standing Orders to a document which is deposited, lodged, delivered or sent under those Standing Orders includes a reference to a document which is so deposited, delivered or sent in electronic form.

That any reference to a document in this order includes a reference to any bill, plan, section, book of reference, ordnance map, environmental or other statement or estimate.

Motion agreed.

Birth of a son to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Tuesday 23rd July 2013 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty The Queen as follows:

“Most Gracious Sovereign—We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to congratulate Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of a son to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge; to signify our great pleasure at this happy event; and to assure Your Majesty of our continued loyalty and devotion”.

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Hill of Oareford)]

My Lords, I beg to move that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty the Queen to congratulate Her Majesty, and other members of the Royal Family, on the safe delivery of a son to their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

This is a very happy day: first, for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge personally, as it is for any young couple who experience that mixture of wonder and relief when their first child is born; but, secondly, for the whole country because it means that the succession to the Throne is further secured. No reigning British sovereign has been able to look quite so far ahead since the birth of His Royal Highness Prince Edward of York as a great grandson to Queen Victoria in 1894.

The bells are pealing from the Abbey; the guns have fired their salute. But it is the crowds which have once again gathered outside Buckingham Palace which are the real mark of the great affection in which the Royal Family is held. There, too, in the palace forecourt is the easel bearing the notice from the Queen’s gynaecologist, last used to announce the birth of Prince William of Wales in 1982. When moving a similar Address on that occasion, the late Lady Young said:

“The Monarchy, within our constitution, finds itself more securely based than ever before upon the affections of the people”.

My Lords, amen to that. It was true in 2011 at the Royal Wedding, it was true in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee, and it is clearly true today.

The Duke of Cambridge has started his public life not only through royal duty and service in the tradition of his parents and grandparents but as a serving officer in the Royal Air Force. I am sure that his father is very proud of him, as would have been his mother, at today’s happy news.

The Duchess of Cambridge has won many admirers for the way in which she has taken up her royal duties, supporting the Queen and in her own interests of art, children and sport. She and the Duke of Cambridge were superb ambassadors for the Royal Family, and for the United Kingdom, during the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee.

We are right to celebrate this birth as a national event, but I am sure we all hope that the Duke and Duchess, and perhaps particularly the new Prince, can have some privacy. Royalty carries burdens as well as privileges, and those burdens will fall on the young Prince’s shoulders all too soon.

Our Queen, raised in the imperial court in the first part of the 20th century, today sees a child who is not likely to succeed to the Throne until well into the second half of the 21st. When that time comes, one thing is certain. The new Prince could not have a better example of duty and service than that set by his great grandmother and, indeed, his great grandfather. We wish the child well; we wish his parents well for his upbringing; and we offer Her Majesty the Queen our continued loyalty and our warmest congratulations.

Birth of a son to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Tuesday 23rd July 2013 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

That a message be conveyed to their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the following terms:

“May it please Your Royal Highnesses to accept the loyal congratulations of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled on the birth of a son to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge; and to assure Your Royal Highnesses of our great satisfaction and pleasure at this news”.

Motion agreed nemine dissentiente, and it was ordered that the Message be conveyed to Their Royal Highnesses by the Lord Chamberlain.

Business of the House

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Thursday 18th July 2013 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

That the debates on the Motions in the names of Lord Haskel and Baroness Prosser set down for today shall each be limited to two and a half hours.

Motion agreed.

Press Regulation

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Thursday 11th July 2013 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Crosby]

My Lords—

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Hill of Oareford)]

My Lords, we should hear from the Cross Benches.

[Baroness Hollins]

Under the currently planned schedule of Privy Council meetings, final approval for the Leveson-compliant royal charter, which we and the other place approved in March this year, may not come until October. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that there is no further delay in securing Privy Council approval of the March royal charter? As Hacked Off, the campaigning organisation, rightly says, the public, the victims of press abuses and the democratic will of Parliament deserve better than this.

Business of the House

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Thursday 11th July 2013 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

That Standing Order 46 (No two stages of a Bill to be taken on one day) be dispensed with on Monday 15 July to allow the Finance Bill and the Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Bill to be taken through all their remaining stages.

Motion agreed.

Business of the House

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Thursday 11th July 2013 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hill of Oareford]

That the debates on the Motions in the names of Lord Patel and Baroness Deech set down for today shall each be limited to 2½ hours.

Motion agreed.