Member

The noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull, made the point earlier that some noble Lords consider themselves to be generalists or have expertise in broad policy areas, which enables them to make frequent contributions. Others may have vital experience but in a niche field or industry that is discussed in your Lordships’ House only every now and again. But I agree with what was said to my noble friend Lord Hailsham: do we want to insist on the latter contributing to debates that they have no knowledge of, or no wish to speak in, while risking losing their specialist expertise when we need it most by putting down arbitrary limits?