Arrangement of Business
Debate between Lord Rooker and Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Lord Rooker (Lab)
My Lords, before my noble friend sits down, I want to raise the point with him that I am getting really irritated by constantly hearing Peers on the wireless complaining about filibustering. It has happened twice this week—it happens every week. The fact of the matter is that I have been here every day except one, and on not one occasion has anybody ever stood up and complained to a speaker that they were filibustering. Why is it only by going external that Peers do that? What prevents someone who feels a filibuster is going on getting up and saying so here, and being honest and courteous with the House over it?
Lord Falconer of Thoroton (Lab)
Can I respond to that? I am the person who has been complaining about filibustering on the radio. I moved a Motion on 8 January in which I set out in detail my position about the delays that have been made. I have complied completely, and continue to comply completely, with the courtesies of the House during the debate, but that does not mean that I do not think that we are taking an undue length of time in relation to it. May I give the House the statistics?
We have spent 53 hours debating this Bill in Committee. If we include the additional scrutiny by the Select Committee and the two full days of debate at Second Reading, we have had more than 80 hours of deliberations on this Bill since it was passed to us in June—more than eight months ago. In total, 1,253 amendments have been tabled, of which we have debated 354 so far. We have over 850 amendments left to be debated, which would suggest we need another 22 days in Committee if we continue at this glacial pace. After nine days of debate, we have completed consideration of just three clauses. We have debated 26 groups and have another 60 still to go.
I completely endorse what my noble friend the Chief Whip has said—that we have got to be kind and courteous. I would earnestly ask the House to consider whether or not we could agree informally how we can make progress and complete Committee by the end of the next day because otherwise we will fail to do what we are so good at, which is scrutiny and improvement. The way it is going at the moment, we will reach no conclusions whatsoever; we will appear to be an irrelevant talking shop.