HL Deb 30 March 1876 vol 228 cc820-1

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.

EARL GRANVILLE

said, it would be more convenient, and in the end save time, if the noble Marquess would defer the Committee until to-morrow, and then take the Committee on the Bill in the regular way. He was aware that it was now proposed to go into the Committee pro formâ, for the purpose of inserting the Amendments of which the noble Marquess had given Notice; but, as he proposed to go into the actual work of discussing the Bill in Committee to-morrow, he did not see what was gained by inserting the Amendments in the Bill only 24 hours in advance of the substantive discussion of the measure. If the House went into Committee on the Bill to-night the Amendments inserted would greatly alter its character, and some of his noble Friends would not know what course to take when the Bill came to be discussed in Committee tomorrow.

THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

said, that, although he was disposed to accede to the suggestion of the noble Earl he feared there would be some inconvenience in agreeing to it. The course which he had followed of inserting the Amendments at once was sanctioned by long usage. He had 70 Amendments, and if they were moved from the Chair, that of itself would occupy at least an hour. When the Bill was re-committed with the Amendments inserted, every noble Lord would have an opportunity of objecting to those he disapproved, and could move that they be struck out of the Bill; instead of moving that they be not inserted. It was not reasonable that they should depart from the ordinary course, especially as by doing so no greater facility would be afforded to noble Lords to consider the Amendments.

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY

pointed out that if the Amendments were inserted that night, the Bill could not be reprinted and circulated to-morrow in time to enable noble Lords to consider the Amendments and to give Notice of their objections, if any, to them.

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDON

said, he gave Notice of the course which his noble Friend (the Marquess of Salisbury) proposed to take in reference to the Bill. If the course suggested by the noble Earl opposite should be sanctioned, noble Lords would still be unable to give Notice of their objections, so that they would be in precisely the same position if the Amendments were inserted in the reprint of the Bill as they were now while they were printed on separate pieces of paper.

EARL GRANVILLE

asked what precedent there was for the present course of proceeding in respect to such an important Bill?

THE LORD CHANCELLOR

said, that Notice was given on Monday last of these Amendments, and they had been printed and circulated and were in the hands of noble Lords; therefore time had been given for considering them, and for giving Notice of objections. He contended that the course which had been pursued would be very much more convenient than to have separate sheets of Amendments.

House in Committee accordingly; Bill reported, without Amendment; Amendments made; Bill re-committed for To-morrow; and to be printed, as amended. (No. 45.)