I very much welcome the opportunity to put this question this afternoon. I am delighted that my noble friends Lord Attlee and Lord Eccles are taking part. The way in which government consultations are conducted may seem a technical issue but it is actually important to the health of our...

I very much welcome the opportunity to put this question this afternoon. I am delighted that my noble friends Lord Attlee and Lord Eccles are taking part. The way in which government consultations are conducted may seem a technical issue but it is actually important to the health of our...

Noble Earl. The Room is full of Viscounts and Earls, as my predecessor in the previous debate said. It is important that we take account of all consultations and of everyone who has written in. I have no idea what happened in the noble Earl’s case and I shall respond...

Noble Earl. The Room is full of Viscounts and Earls, as my predecessor in the previous debate said. It is important that we take account of all consultations and of everyone who has written in. I have no idea what happened in the noble Earl’s case and I shall respond...

I do not have time to consult, so I shall reply in writing. In any consultation it is important—there have been a couple of questions on this—to reflect on the weight of the evidence. Should we list all the individuals? It is not possible to provide departments with guidance on...

I do not have time to consult, so I shall reply in writing. In any consultation it is important—there have been a couple of questions on this—to reflect on the weight of the evidence. Should we list all the individuals? It is not possible to provide departments with guidance on...

I join other noble Lords in thanking my noble friend Lord Norton of Louth for drawing our attention to this important area of the legislative process. Consultation is vital to public confidence in our legislative system; indeed, it is a word that we hear often in your Lordships’ House. We...

I join other noble Lords in thanking my noble friend Lord Norton of Louth for drawing our attention to this important area of the legislative process. Consultation is vital to public confidence in our legislative system; indeed, it is a word that we hear often in your Lordships’ House. We...

I also wish to express my grateful appreciation to the noble Lord, Lord Norton, for introducing this important debate. However, I also extend my appreciation to the work that he has done prior to this debate to seek to elicit the facts. For he has, through most persistent questioning, raised...

I also wish to express my grateful appreciation to the noble Lord, Lord Norton, for introducing this important debate. However, I also extend my appreciation to the work that he has done prior to this debate to seek to elicit the facts. For he has, through most persistent questioning, raised...

I am very grateful to my noble friend Lord Norton for introducing this debate. I come at it as a member of the Merits Committee and therefore as a recipient of the outcome of a great many consultations. We regularly look at 30 instruments a week, and one of the...

I am very grateful to my noble friend Lord Norton for introducing this debate. I come at it as a member of the Merits Committee and therefore as a recipient of the outcome of a great many consultations. We regularly look at 30 instruments a week, and one of the...

Earl.

Earl.

If the simple question is whether we would list every name, the answer is no: we would not. Clearly, all the evidence that we receive has to be considered and analysed and it has to be put forward as part of the consultation. As I said, we do not list...

If the simple question is whether we would list every name, the answer is no: we would not. Clearly, all the evidence that we receive has to be considered and analysed and it has to be put forward as part of the consultation. As I said, we do not list...

Mine was a very simple question. I hope that the Minister will find time to answer it.

Mine was a very simple question. I hope that the Minister will find time to answer it.

I will look at this particular case and write to the noble Viscount.

I will look at this particular case and write to the noble Viscount.

I was talking about the specific circumstances where an MP wrote directly to me—"Dear John, I have been tasked by the Prime Minister to look into this matter"—and the circumstances were exactly as I have described. Should I or should I not have been on the list of consultees?

I was talking about the specific circumstances where an MP wrote directly to me—"Dear John, I have been tasked by the Prime Minister to look into this matter"—and the circumstances were exactly as I have described. Should I or should I not have been on the list of consultees?

This has been an excellent debate, which has been greatly enriched by the knowledge and expertise that your Lordships have in this area. In preparation, I read the bio of the noble Lord, Lord Norton; I was obviously aware that he was a subject matter expert. I apologise that I...

This has been an excellent debate, which has been greatly enriched by the knowledge and expertise that your Lordships have in this area. In preparation, I read the bio of the noble Lord, Lord Norton; I was obviously aware that he was a subject matter expert. I apologise that I...

Lords question for short debate on what plans they have to ensure that public consultations by government departments follow best practice.

Lords question for short debate on what plans they have to ensure that public consultations by government departments follow best practice.

The department to which he referred, Defra, was one of those with the least good record of compliance. There were no fewer than 13 cases out of a total of 81 in which they did not allow the minimum amount of time of 12 weeks. In one case it allowed...

The department to which he referred, Defra, was one of those with the least good record of compliance. There were no fewer than 13 cases out of a total of 81 in which they did not allow the minimum amount of time of 12 weeks. In one case it allowed...

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that public consultations by government departments follow best practice.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that public consultations by government departments follow best practice.

I, too, am grateful to my noble friend Lord Norton for introducing this Question for Short Debate. I do not often get involved in these issues, but I have a simple question for the Minister. The advantage of Grand Committee is that the Minister has ready access to his officials,...

I, too, am grateful to my noble friend Lord Norton for introducing this Question for Short Debate. I do not often get involved in these issues, but I have a simple question for the Minister. The advantage of Grand Committee is that the Minister has ready access to his officials,...

SI 2009/670. Together with an explanatory memorandum and impact assessment from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Coming into force 6 April 2009.

SI 2009/670. Together with an explanatory memorandum and impact assessment from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Coming into force 6 April 2009.

SI 2009/665. Together with an explanatory memorandum and impact assessment from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Coming into force 6 April 2009.

SI 2009/665. Together with an explanatory memorandum and impact assessment from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Coming into force 6 April 2009.

SI 2009/669. Together with an explanatory memorandum and impact assessment from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Coming into force 6 April 2009.

SI 2009/669. Together with an explanatory memorandum and impact assessment from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Coming into force 6 April 2009.

SI 2009/581. Together with an explanatory memorandum from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Coming into force 6 April 2009.

SI 2009/581. Together with an explanatory memorandum from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Coming into force 6 April 2009.