House of Lords Journal

Prayers were read by the Lord Bishop of Exeter.

Select Committee Reports

1 Statutory Instruments
The following Report from the Joint Committee was made and ordered to be printed:

23rd Report on certain statutory instruments, including the following affirmative instruments:
Draft Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Consequential Amendments to Part 1 of the Education and Skills Act 2008) Order 2013
Draft Cash Ratio Deposits (Value Bands and Ratios) Order 2013
Draft Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (Contractual Scheme) Regulations 2013
Draft Duty to Participate in Education or Training (Alternative Ways of Working) Regulations 2013
Draft Industrial Training Levy (Engineering Construction Industry Training Board) Order 2013
Draft Local Transport Act 2008 (Traffic Commissioners) (Consequential Amendments) Order 2013
Draft Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates: Relevant Matters) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013
Draft Public Bodies (Merger of the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission) Order 2013
Draft Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013
Draft Reservoirs Act 1975 (Exemptions, Appeals and Inspections) (England) Regulations 2013. (HL Paper 164)

2 Constitution
The following Report from the Select Committee was made and ordered to be printed:

The pre-emption of Parliament. (13th Report, HL Paper 165)

Public Business

3 Retail Prices Index A question was asked by Lord Naseby and answered by Lord Wallace of Saltaire.

4 Air quality A question was asked by Lord Dubs and answered by Lord De Mauley.

5 Health: tuberculosis A question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass and answered by Earl Howe.

6 Police: convicted officers A question was asked by Lord Trefgarne and answered by Lord Taylor of Holbeach.

7 Procedure The Chairman of Committees moved that the 5th Report from the Select Committee (Private notice questions; tabling oral questions; repeal of Standing Orders; repetition of answers to House of Commons urgent questions) be agreed to (HL Paper 150). Then Lord Trefgarne moved, as an amendment to the original motion, at end to insert ", with the exception of paragraphs 1 and 2 on Private Notice Questions which should be referred back to the Committee for further consideration". After debate, the amendment was withdrawn. Then the original motion was agreed to.

8 Procedure The Chairman of Committees moved that this House takes note of the 6th Report from the Select Committee (Backbench Debates) (HL Paper 151). After debate, the motion was agreed to.

9 Procedure The Chairman of Committees moved to resolve that this House establish, for the duration of the 2013–14 session of Parliament, a Backbench Debates Committee;

That the Committee be appointed to schedule debates, to be moved by backbench and Crossbench members, or by Lords Spiritual:

• During the time currently set aside for balloted debates;

• On at least one day in Grand Committee for every six sitting weeks in the session;

That the Committee schedule a one-hour topical Question for Short Debate each week, from the start of the session until the end of January, to be taken on Thursday between the two time-limited debates;

That the Procedure Committee review and report on the work of the Backbench Debates Committee before the end of the 2013–14 session, with a view to recommending whether or not the Backbench Debates Committee should be established as a sessional select committee.

The motion was disagreed to (see division 1).

10 Marine Navigation (No. 2) Bill The bill was read a third time and passed.

Motion A Lords amendment 25 was not insisted on (see division 2) and Commons amendments 25C, 25D, 25F and 25G to the words restored to the bill by the Commons disagreement to Lords amendment 25 were agreed to, and Commons amendment 25E to the words so restored was disagreed to and amendments 25H(rev) and 25J were agreed to in lieu.

The bill was returned to the Commons with amendments.

12 Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill The Commons amendments were considered.

Motion A Lords amendment 36 was not insisted on and Commons consequential amendments 36C to 36E were agreed to.

Motion B Lords amendment 37 was not insisted on and Commons amendments 37C to 37F in lieu were agreed to.

13 Public Service Pensions Bill The bill was returned from the Commons with a Lords amendment disagreed to and with an amendment in lieu. The Commons amendment was considered forthwith.

Motion A Lords amendment 78B was not insisted on and Commons amendment 78C in lieu was agreed to.

14 Defamation Bill The bill was returned from the Commons with the Lords amendment agreed to.

15 Banking Standards A message was brought from the Commons that they have made the following order:

That the Commons Order of 16 July 2012 relating to the establishment of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards shall have effect in the next session until the day on which the Commission makes its report on standards and culture of the United Kingdom banking sector.

16 National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No. 2) Regulations 2013 Lord Hunt of Kings Heath moved that a humble address be presented to Her Majesty praying that the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No. 2) Regulations 2013, laid before the House on 11 March, be annulled on the grounds that they do not implement the assurances given by Ministers to Parliament during the passage of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 that NHS commissioners would be free to commission services in the way they consider in the best interests of NHS patients (SI 2013/500). After debate, the motion was disagreed to (see division 3).

The House adjourned at 10.40pm until Thursday 25 April at 11.00am.

Grand Committee Business

The Grand Committee met in the Moses Room at 3.45pm.

Education: Personal, Social and Health Education A question was asked by Baroness Massey of Darwen and, after debate, answered by Lord Nash.

Tourism A question was asked by Lord Lee of Trafford and, after debate, answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble.

Herbal medicines A question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch and, after debate, answered by Baroness Northover.

The Committee adjourned at 7.02pm.