Parliamentary Standards Bill

I am extremely grateful to all those who took part in this short debate. I make no apology for having brought these matters before the Committee. We have had a lot of very useful advice. Like the noble Baroness, I listened to my noble and learned friend Lord Mackay with great interest and was coming to think that perhaps I should have consulted him before I moved the amendment. In reply to my noble friend Lord Higgins, I tabled these amendments before we received the useful letter from the noble Baroness explaining where the Government stood on a number of matters. They have remained on the Order Paper until today. I am grateful to the noble Baroness who has answered the question that she agreed to take back on Tuesday about the other amendments I had tabled grouped with Amendment 1. The Government have firmly come to the conclusion that neither IPSA nor the commissioner should be within the scope of parliamentary privilege, which we will need to look at to see whether there is anything that one should raise again on Report. I still am quite unclear as to whether Article IX and the protections which it has afforded for centuries to both Houses of Parliament and its Members could be challenged perhaps, if not in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, under European human rights legislation and the court in Strasbourg. I will want to take advice on that because on Tuesday we had the argument on the amendments moved by the noble Lord, Lord Lester, about making sure that MPs’ human rights would be protected. It was a long and interesting argument, which suggests that perhaps the European Court of Human Rights would be involved in these matters. But if it is involved in protecting Members of Parliament who find themselves perhaps being, as they would consider, unjustly treated, why would that not raise questions under Article IX of the Bill of Rights? I will want to look at this with advice. But, in the light of the debate and the noble Baroness’s reply, clearly it would not be right to press these matters to a Division. I therefore beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 78 withdrawn. Amendment 79 not moved.