Baroness Hale of Richmond (CB)

My Lords, I did not expect to have to answer that sort of accusation. The Select Committee was formed because there was a petition against the Bill from three people. The hall objected to the locus standi of the petitioners, and we heard both sides of that. That was when we heard from the petitioner. He was allowed to make his case for having locus standi. The hall was allowed to make its case that he did not have locus standi and nor did the others, and we determined that they did not have locus standi. Nevertheless, the hall went on at enormous length to address us on the virtue of its current arrangements. Because of what we learned as a result, we decided that the situation—the impasse—was sufficiently troubling to draw to the attention of the House. That is all. We certainly heard both sides of the story. I have to say, having spent decades of my life as a serving judge whose job it was to hear both sides of the story, I have been particularly upset by the noble Lord’s accusation.