House of Lords Bill [HL]

My Lords, I shall say a few words of welcome for the Bill, concentrating on specialism. The appointment of Peers permits the House of Lords the opportunity to secure a good range of specialisms to assist its consideration of legislation, as my noble friend Lady Greengross has said. Appointment makes your Lordships’ House one of all the talents. The depth of specialist knowledge and experience in your Lordships’ House can prevent Governments from repeating the errors of the past or wasting their efforts. The opportunity for specialist contribution distinguishes this House from the other place. While professional politicians increasingly have a sole career in politics, appointment allows this House a different kind of legislator, lacking the benefit of the experience of constituency casework but having had the responsibility of running a business, of leading soldiers in conflict or of attaining the highest level in medicine or science. Election might still permit the appointment of specialists, but it is doubtful whether many of the most distinguished of them would wish to go through such a process. While specialist experience withers as one withdraws from day-to-day practice, Peers can and do seek to sustain elements of their practice while in Parliament and derive current information from the network of contacts that they have forged over many years. Of course legislators can take evidence from specialists to inform Bill work, but to truly benefit from such evidence one needs eyes to see and ears to hear; one needs to know how to prioritise. To have the tenacity and the passion to change the law, one needs deep knowledge and personal involvement, the commitment that comes with many years’ involvement in one area. My noble friend Lord Laming has had many years’ experience of social services, including his time as Chief Inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate. While in this House, he has led the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié, and he was perfectly suited to advise the noble Baroness, Lady Ashton, when she took the Children Act 2004 through this House. She acknowledged how greatly she benefited from his advice. My noble friend used his expertise to stand against the call from all sides, including the charities, for the power of the Children’s Commissioner to extend to pursuing individual cases. The commissioner has regretted this restriction on his powers, but it seems as though we have avoided the pitfall of the Welsh commissioner’s experience. The commissioner’s role is increasingly recognised as being effective in voicing the concerns of children throughout this country. My noble and gallant friend Lord Bramall spoke in the debates prior to the Iraq invasion. He said: "““Finally, I hope that war will not become inevitable. Whatever success there may be early on, any—even temporary—occupation of Iraq will, I believe, create more problems than it solves … we would be asking men and women to risk their lives for reasons which, to say the least, are more obscure and contentious than those which prevailed in World War II, Korea, the Falklands or the Gulf. So the Government had better get it right””.—[Official Report, 28/11/02; col. 942.]" It is easy to be wise after the fact. The appointments process made available to your Lordships the specialist knowledge to give the House the possibility of being wise before the fact. I warmly welcome the opportunity that the Bill offers to continue the ability of this House to secure a good range of specialisms to inform its considerations.