UK Parliament / Open data

Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill

I hoped that I had made myself clear, but just in case the Minister did not get the full purport of what I was saying, it was about the question of dual criminality. I was asking whether a so-called offence committed outside the UK that is not an offence here should be dealt with by automatic forfeiture of membership of the House of Lords and then have to be overturned by a resolution, or whether the Bill should simply state that to qualify, it must be an offence both in the UK and in the foreign jurisdiction. That is what we often state in legislation dealing with overseas jurisdictions. The second question that I wish to put to the Minister is about clause 31(8), which I do not believe he mentioned specifically. It states:""An expulsion resolution or a suspension resolution may contain other provision in addition to that mentioned in the subsections above."" What is that "other provision" that the Minister envisages? If Standing Orders of the other place are to be made on the basis of the Bill, the Lords will want to know what that might entail. I would have thought that a simple suspension or expulsion resolution would be appropriate, and that it would not be appropriate to add other things that Members of another place might think appropriate punishments for whatever the perceived crime might be. From my experience of another place, they might be remarkably inventive in finding appropriate punishments to add to the charge list in a resolution. Will the Minister therefore explain what that subsection means?

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

504 c754 

Session

2009-10

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber
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