Category Archives: Lord Norton

Marriage (Same-sex Couples) Bill

Lord Norton 22/05/2013 – 10:41 pm

The Marriage (Same-sex Couples) Bill has completed its passage through the Commons.  It was given a Third Reading by 366 votes to 161.  It has now arrived in the Lords, having been given its formal First Reading at the end of proceedings yesterday.  It is scheduled for Second Reading on the first day the House resumes after the Whit recess, that is, Monday 3 June.  It looks like being a long d […]

Written at 10:41 pm on 22/05/2013, by Lord Norton

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Prisoner voting rights

Lord Norton 18/05/2013 – 11:00 am

A number of Bills each year are now published in draft and subject to pre-legislative scrutiny.  The scrutiny is usually undertaken by the relevant Departmental Select Committees in the Commons, but some are sent to a Joint Committee of both Houses.  I have previously served on two such committees.  This week I was appointed to a third. The issue of prisoner voting rights has proved highly c […]

Written at 11:00 am on 18/05/2013, by Lord Norton

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Private Members’ Bills

Lord Norton 16/05/2013 – 9:44 am

It is not just in the Commons that Private Members' Bills attract interest.  In the Lords, there is no ballot at the beginning of the session (or rather, taking up Lord Tyler's earlier point, no random selection).  Instead, peers introduce Bills at the start of the session - there is value in getting in early - and time is usually found to discuss those that have been introduced in good time.  […]

Written at 9:44 am on 16/05/2013, by Lord Norton

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Quiz: The Thatcher era

Lord Norton 13/04/2013 – 11:13 am

Following the recall of both Houses on Wednesday for tributes to Baroness Thatcher, I thought it appropriate that the quiz should focus on the era of the Thatcher Government.  The number of peers speaking in Wednesday's sitting reflected the experience many had during the period of the Thatcher premiership.  This explains both the length of the sitting - almost twice the length expected - and […]

Written at 11:13 am on 13/04/2013, by Lord Norton

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Recall of the House

Lord Norton 09/04/2013 – 5:13 pm

Both Houses have been recalled tomorrow (Wednesday) for the tributes to Baroness Thatcher.  The occasion in the Lords will be especially interesting given that most, though not quite all, of those who served in the Thatcher Cabinets sit in the House, as do Lord Powell of Bayswater (her Private Secretary) and Lord Armstrong (Cabinet Secretary), among others. The recall of both Houses is unusua […]

Written at 5:13 pm on 09/04/2013, by Lord Norton

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