Member

I take my hat off to my noble friend Lord Blencathra for devising this practical and useful proposal so creatively. He is cleverer than I am. It is a good confidence-building measure. What faith it would create among us if the Leader said, “Yes, we will buttress this Select Committee, go forward in this way, and have this failsafe mechanism that I can take to my colleagues in another place to say, ‘Here are the proposals of their Lordships, freely agreed across parties’”. It is an ingenious and helpful suggestion, and I hope the noble Baroness can see my noble friend’s amendment as a way to reinforce her reassurance to the House last week, and again tonight. It is hard going to get legislation through colleagues in the House of Commons.