Coming up in the Lords

Of particular interest -

• Appointments to Committees - June 2;
• Question on appointments of special advisers - June 7 Q3
• Question on Barnett formula - June 7 Q4
• Question on membership of Lords Reform committee - June 8 Q2
• Question on electoral registration & avoidance of fraudulent registration - June 14 Q1
• Question on Post Legislative scrutiny - June 14 Q4
• Questions on review of parliamentary boundaries - June 15 Q2; June 24 Q3
• Question on savings in the administration of Government - June 24 Q1

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath has requested a Question for Short Debate [QSD] on the government's approach to reform of the House of Lords. Lord Grocott has requested a QSD on the operation of proportional representation for elections to the European Parliament. Arrangements for QSD are made through the Whips Office.

For full information go to "House of Lords Business"

Constitutional (& related) Issues

Yesterday the House of Lords had a full day's debate on "Home, Legal and Constitutional Affairs and Local Government" matters arising from the Queen's Speech. I sat in the gallery (and apart from two short breaks for a drink) sat through the seven and a half hours of the debate - it was worth watching - many of the key arguments which will be discussed in the session were rehearsed. You can read the speeches in Hansard, which is available here.

In the Queen's Speech there were 23 bills announced. Of particular interest in the fields of Constitutional and Administrative matters & Human Rights are bills on

• Parliamentary Reform
• Defence of Parliamentary Privilege [Draft]
• EU
• Public Bodies Reform
• Local Government
• Decentralisation & Localism
• Freedom
• Identity Documents
• Terrorist Asset Freezing Bill

To follow these bills (which may aquire slightly different titles) you can follow via the Parliamentary Website, which is accessible here.

How Accurate?

Already the political analysts and activists have been poring over the detailed statistics about the UK Election. If you've been missing out, can I recommend the preliminary analysis by the House of Commons Library [yes, there's more to come!] available here.

One figure that will be frequently mentioned is turnout. The Turnout percentage is the number of votes cast {times 100} divided by the number of people eligible to vote on election day. That figure comes from the Electoral Register.

The trouble is that the electoral register is not entirely accurate. Some people have died since the register was prepared (sometimes when canvassing, I ask for a person on the register - only to be told that they died - occasionally the death occured years ago). Also not everyone is on the register.

That is important for electoral purposes. Inevitably during an election you find people who should be able to vote - but cannot, because they are not on the register. It is also important for other reasons. Members of juries are selected (at random) from the Electoral Register. Evidence suggests that certain groups are much less likely to be registered - which distorts the representativeness of juries.

In 2005 a Commons Select Committee published a detailed study into electoral registration. Chapter Three on "Encouraging Registration" begins with consideration of "the problem of non-registration". It is worth reading - whether your interest is in politics or the functioning of the legal system.

The report states "The most recent estimate we have is that in 1991, 93% of those eligible to vote in Britain were registered, but beneath this headline figure, there is a more worrying picture where “non-registration rates appear to vary by geographical area, by age, ethnicity and property ownership/tenure”. Of course, several factors will apply in some individual cases but in general those less likely to be registered are: men; those living in London; those living in urban areas and areas of economic deprivation; those aged 17 to 24; those in privately rented accommodation; and those from black and minority ethnic communities."

A report carried by the BBC in March 2010 said "The Electoral Commission said more than 3.5m people may not be registered. Its research suggested 56% of 17-25 year olds were not on the electoral roll."

The Commons committee report is available to read and download from here.

The State Opening - from the inside

Whilst awaiting the arrival of the Queen at the Palace of Westminster, I asked Baroness Thornton, a former Government Whip [In the House of Lords the government whips have the title "Baroness in Waiting" or "Lord in Waiting", they are members of Her Majesty's Household] - about her role in a previous State Opening of Parliament.

View of the State Opening

The Queen's Speech was delivered a little after 11.30, but the lead up began hours before. Many Peers were taking breakfast in the Lords cafeteria just after eight. By ten guests were being shown around the corridors surrounding the House of Lords - believe it or not, it is extremely unusual to see many women wearing tiaras around the building yet on this day there were many.

At 10.20 I saw the French Ambassador's car arrive. Other distinguished guests arrived - some in cars, others - a few in fine uniforms - arrived on foot.

I heard the first band at 10.33. The volume increased as it came nearer - finally drowning out the sound of the helicopters flying above. Over the next half hour or so I had the opportunity to watch the events from a balcony on the West front.










Once the procession had arrived I joined a few peers who were watching the events on a television. The Queen delivered her speech, which sets out the Government's legislative agenda for the session ahead. I returned to the balcony to see the procession return towards Buckingham Palace.