On Wednesday, the House will be invited to approve the motion appointing the peers who are to serve on the Joint Committee on the draft House of Lords Reform Bill. The names of the nominees in both Houses have now been published. I have listed them here. The natute of the measure has resulted in a 26-member committee, ensuring a breadth of representation, but creating problems in terms of space – we have to meet in Committee Room 4A, the only room we have in the Lords (other than the Moses Room) which can accommodate such numbers – and also in terms of taking evidence, not least if we all want to put questions!
Given the sheer scale of the Bill, the list of witnesses is likely to be a long one. I shall also be interested to see how much written evidence we receive. Apart from the provisions for the voting system and the percentage of members to be elected, I suspect one provision that will attract considerable comment will be that to retain twelve Bishops. The issue of the Lords Spiritual alway seems to get some people highly exercised.
So say for the public.
Typical.
All British people, from top to bottom and vice versa, whether secular or spiritual or both-at-the-same-time, need to be much more frequently “exercised”;
but I would not say “highly”;
rather “optimally” –
or perhaps better still “holistically”.
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What many of us need to see is the nitty-gritty Detail of what each of these “Names” actually has been, is, and is likely to be, standing-for;
and publish the proportions of what each stands-for,
in terms of Lifespports, Money, Timeframes, long-term Sustainworthiness (and so forth),
towards what proportions and what levels of The People (within which should also be overtly-declared their own-and-their-owners’ (bankrollers’) interests and intentions).
0709T05
Given the sheer scale of the Bill, the list of witnesses is likely to be a long one.
Facebook group, Lord Norton, or does that demean?
Twm O’r Nant: For my part, I’m happy to support using whatever means are available to achieve an input from anyone with a contribution to make.
One of the (many) troubling points in the Draft Bill is the expectation of who will become Members. We can cross off the ‘wise and experienced’ as apparently they do not see themselves as politicians and will not seek elected office.* Is there some private training going on somewhere like, say, The Dog and Duck?
* as stated in (14), p12, http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/house-of-lords-reform-draft-bill.pdf
Thanks to Lady Tizzy for the pdf link.
I wonder whether the committee is going to meet before the summer break, and whether a member of the public may attend regularly, as I am now able to do?
Who is the Lord Chairman?
Twm O’r Nant: The joint committee is meeting for the first time next week to discuss and agree the programme. I gather we will start taking evidence in October. Evidence-taking sessions will be in public. Lord Richard is expected to be selected as the Lord Chairman.
@Lord Norton:
Will it be televised? In the hope of covering a requirement for open government.
It should make excellent viewing.