Member

Therefore, the last time that your Lordships’ House had the opportunity to express an opinion on the solution proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Grocott, was in December 2021. On that occasion, the Bill was given a Second Reading without Division, and, while it certainly attracted critical scrutiny from some noble Lords, it won support from all corners of the House, including from my noble friend Lord Young of Cookham, Lord Waverley—who retired from your Lordships’ House just last week—and the noble Baroness, Lady D’Souza. It would therefore be wrong to claim that this idea has been repeatedly rejected. Indeed, as the Leader of the House has often pointed out in the past, it has generally been supported in this House: it is the other place where the problems have often come.