Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)

My Lords, I welcome all the provisions in the report, but could the committee turn its attention to the time we are given to consider important subjects at Second Readings and elsewhere? The most egregious example, where the Chief Whip has been excellent in his response, is the Bill currently before the House, tomorrow’s Private Member’s Bill, where our speaking time is reduced to four minutes to talk on what is a highly complex issue. The four minutes has arisen only because of the action of the Chief Whip in ignoring the rule that we finish at 3 pm on a Friday and by providing two days for discussion, which was a sensible way forward and which I very much welcome. However, increasingly, we find at Second Readings of Bills that our speaking time is reduced to two minutes or less. That is because people put their names down to speak. Can the committee not look at this issue? There are a number of possible alternatives. The great thing about this House is that it has people who know what they are talking about. It also has people such as me who do not always know what they are talking about. To squeeze out people engaging seriously because of the way in which the system operates is a great disappointment. Given that the Government have a manifesto commitment to deal with ensuring that people participate in this House, I can see this becoming a bigger problem, because people will put their names down to speak and the result will be that our debates are less informed and less able. Surely, this is a matter the committee should turn its attention to.