Return of the quiz

Lord Norton

A number of readers have lamented the absence in recent months of the quiz, so I thought I would reintroduce it, not least in the period of prorogation.  This time there is a difference in that there will be a tangible prize: a copy of my The Voice of the Backbenchers.  It will be winging its way to the first reader to answer the questions correctly.

1. The House of Lords has recently begun to use ad hoc committees to undertake post-legislative scrutiny of Acts in particular areas.  One committee examined adoption law.  Who chaired the committee and why was that person especially well suited to the task?

2. The House presently has one Nobel Prize Winner among its members.  Who is it?

3. The House has a number of peers who have served as university Vice-Chancellors, such as Lord Smith of Clifton and Baroness Blackstone, but which peer has served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Baroda?

4. Which peer spent over thirty years as an consultant obstetrician at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, and is a former President of the Royal College of Obstetricians?

5. Which peer has a DPhil in evolutionary models?

6. At least two peers have been Thouron Scholars at the University of Pennsylvania.  I am one.  Another is now chairman of a bank.  Who is he?

 

 

6 comments for “Return of the quiz

  1. 19/05/2014 at 8:48 pm

    1. Baroness Butler-Sloss; she was formerly President of the Family Division of the High Court

    2. Lord Trimble (Peace Prize)

    3. Lord Parekh

    4. Lord Patel

    5. Baroness D’Souza

    6. Lord Blackwell

  2. Jonny Blunden
    19/05/2014 at 9:03 pm

    1) Baroness Butler-Sloss chaired the Select Committee on Adoption Legislation. The Baroness is a former President of the Family Division of the High Court. She was therefore well suited to chairing the committee given her expertise in family law.

    2) Lord Trimble won the Noble Prize for Peace in 1998 for his role in securing the Good Friday agreement.

    3) Lord Desai served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Baroda from 1985 to 1987.

    4) Lord Patel worked for more than thirty years at Ninewells Hospital Dundee. He served as President of the RCOG from 1995 to 1997.

    5) Baroness D’Souza has a DPhil in ‘evolutionary models’ from the University of Oxford.

    6) Lord Blackwell was a Thouron Scholar. He is currently chairman of Lloyds Banking Group.

  3. MilesJSD
    20/05/2014 at 2:10 am

    One has to wonder what the ‘winning’ or ‘first-past-the-post’ percentage would be, of your
    “number of readers who have lamented absence of the
    [empowered-wealthy-high-and-culturally-closed Norton’s]
    House of Lords Quiz”

    if it were compared/contrasted against
    the 63 million individual peoples’ needs and affordable-hows
    were the latter ever allowed educational-quizzing in, public-participation in the prioritising of,
    and verbatim representation of in Parliaments and
    on through the Establishment, the Judiciary, the Civil Service, and ‘Society-At-Large’ or ‘Big’ ?

  4. 20/05/2014 at 4:50 am

    Change of prize and not on Saturday, one supposes they were not overly conservative lamenters.

  5. Lord Norton
    21/05/2014 at 9:52 am

    I was not expecting quite such an immediate response. Jonathan and Johnny Blunden were hot off the mark in responding. Both supplied a correct set of answers. (Both Lord Parekh and Lord Desai have served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Baroda, Lord Desai succeeding Lord Parekh.) Jonathan beat Johhny Blunden by a few minutes. If Jonathan would like to get in touch, a copy of ‘The Voice of the Backbenchers’ will then be in the mail.

    • Jonny Blunden
      22/05/2014 at 6:28 pm

      Drat! Pipped to the post. It was though a good quiz.

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