Vol. 710 Thursday No. 68 30 April 2009 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Black Rod Retirement of Sir Michael Willcocks and introduction of Sir Freddie Viggers Questions NATO: France Questions for Written Answer: Late Answers EU: External Action Service Gurkhas Manchester City Council Bill [HL] Bournemouth Borough Council Bill [HL] CarryoverMotion Canterbury City Council Bill Leeds City Council Bill Nottingham City Council Bill Reading Borough Council Bill Motion on Commons Message Four Statutory Instruments Referred to Grand Committee Business of the House Timing of Debates Armed Forces Debate Sri Lanka Statement Health Debate Cohabitation Bill [HL] Committee (1st Day) Grand Committee Political Parties and Elections Bill Committee (2nd Day) Written Statements Written Answers For column numbers see back page £3·50 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. 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All prices are inclusive of postage. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2009, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ 319 Black Rod[30 APRIL 2009] Black Rod 320 little about something that they may have witnessed House of Lords on television—the State Opening of Parliament. What did they know about it? That was clear: “There’s a Thursday, 30 April 2009. man with a stick, Miss, who bangs on the door three 11 am times every year. Miss, does he get paid for that job?”. Now, we happen to know that there is, perhaps, a Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Southwark. touch more to the job of Black Rod than that, yet it does portray that office as a key symbol of Parliament and a fixture in the public consciousness of what Black Rod Parliament does. Sir Michael has taken very seriously, Retirement of Sir Michael Willcocks and introduction as is right, those aspects of his job—his role in Parliament of Sir Freddie Viggers and his role as a member of the Royal Household. He has never been stuffy, but he has always been serious: 11.06 am serious in what has been his role, serious in how he has The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Royall gone about it, and serious in what he has accomplished of Blaisdon): My Lords, I have to inform the House for this House. that Her Majesty has appointed Lieutenant-General There is, however, another side to Sir Michael—Mike Sir Frederick Viggers KCB, CMG, MBE to be Gentleman to all who know him, although, as Leader, he and I Usher of the Black Rod, in succession to Sir Michael both stick properly to our formal titles in dealing with Willcocks KCB, CVO, and that he is at the Door, each other, as he has quite rightly done with all my ready to receive your Lordships’ commands. predecessors with whom he has so successfully worked in his eight years, all but a few weeks, in the role. He is, Noble Lords: Hear, hear! too, a well-spring of jokes and anecdotes. I shall not attempt to repeat any of them here, partly because I Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, we are now should pale in comparison to his own abilities, and here to pay tribute to the departing Black Rod, a sad partly because I do not have his particular skill of occasion, because this Black Rod will be missed by the starting out with what looks likely to be an extraordinarily House, but an important occasion, too. The office of risqué joke that turns out, somehow magically, to be Black Rod is an important one for the realm, and highly respectable. when the holder of that office changes, it is an important moment for the House. Although we are used to seeing him formally attired and properly dressed, it has not always been like that. Others will follow me with tributes specifically focusing He is remembered for the occasions when he left on particular aspects of the job, as it has been defined, behind at home his ceremonial shoes, and had to of the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, on security, process in a natty pair of leather loafers, and for when for instance, or on ceremonial matters. I am convinced he left his tights behind—Ede & Ravenscroft 60 denier, that my job today is more difficult than theirs, because I am told—although history, perhaps thankfully, does it falls to me to give to the House a sense of what Black not record his strategies to mount a cover-up and Rod is like—difficult, because he is so well known to spare his, and our, blushes. However, he has been all Members of the House that each individual Member unembarrassed in wanting to spread the word about will have a clear view of what Black Rod is like. what this House does; those skills will no doubt stand As Black Rod, though a commanding figure, he has him in good stead when he moves to his new role with been assiduous in engaging with, communicating with, the Press Complaints Commission. and talking to all Members on all sides of the House. He has seen, I believe, accessibility as a central part of As Black Rod, he has shown considerable leadership his job. That may of course be because, as an old and prompted great loyalty among his staff. He may military man, Lieutenant-General Sir Michael Willcocks not always have agreed with the decisions taken by the believes that it has been pretty well essential for him to House, but when he has not he has, despite his own know the lay of the land. It is as well, though, because views, as ever, enacted those decisions to the letter. He he is a naturally gregarious and sociable man. Black has, too, been a key member of the management team Rod is a familiar figure to the House, whether swinging of the Lords. In particular, it falls to Black Rod to take along Millbank of a morning, with his dog Sugar by on the highly unenviable task of arranging office his side, or in deep conversation in the Bishops’ Bar, or accommodation for Peers, where his tact and skill in just being about the corridors of the House so that handling the difficult issues have been exemplary. His Members can tackle him on any issues of concern to strategic work on accommodation, based around the them. In fact, so assiduous is he that I hope he will planned island site for Lords offices, has been essential. forgive me for revealing to the House his nickname in I take this opportunity to pay special tribute to him his old Army regiment, the Royal Horse Artillery. He for the way he has handled the number of particularly was known, highly affectionately, after the old “Magic difficult issues on which we have worked since I became Roundabout” figure, as Zebedee—always bouncing Leader of this House, including the matter of the about as if spring-loaded. To echo the noble Lord, police inquiries earlier this year. Throughout those Lord McNally, in his reply to the opening of the difficult periods, Black Rod, again, acted with tact, debate on the gracious Speech, “Boing!”. skill and sensitivity, as well as the required robustness Black Rod, too, is a familiar figure well beyond this when necessary. In doing so—just as he did when, a House. Visiting a school recently, I was asking the few short months into his job, he had to deal with the pupils what they knew about Parliament. I talked a security implications of the 9/11 terrorist attacks for 321 Black Rod[LORDS] Black Rod 322 [BARONESS ROYALL OF BLAISDON] It is my part of this carve-up to talk about his role this House and, indeed, for Parliament as a whole—he in managing the parliamentary estate—a rather dull has acted and accomplished things for the benefit of part of his role, your Lordships might think, but this House, for the benefit of the Members of the important.