Arrangement of Business

My Lords, as usual I must advise your Lordships that, if there is a Division in the Chamber while we are sitting, the Committee will adjourn as soon as the Division Bells are rung and resume after 10 minutes.

My Lords, I want to highlight a few key areas before we begin. On general rules, I remind noble Lords that they should declare any relevant financial interests the first time they speak at each stage of a Bill. This means that, in Committee, relevant financial interests should be declared during the first group in which a noble Lord contributes. The declaration does not need to be repeated in debates on later groups at this stage. Declarations should be specific and brief. Members should briefly indicate the nature of their financial interests and not simply refer to their entry in the Register of Lords’ Interests. I also want to remind the Committee again of guidance in the Companion at paragraph 8.82 that, when withdrawing an amendment, noble Lords should “be brief and need not respond to all the points made during the debate, nor revisit points made when moving the amendment”. A number of contributions when withdrawing amendments on previous days have been lengthy. I encourage all participants to keep their remarks short in the spirit of the Companion.