HL Deb 07 April 1938 vol 108 cc649-50
LORD SNELL

My Lords, I beg to ask the noble Earl, the Leader of the House, if he has any statement to make about the business of the House.

EARL STANHOPE

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving me this opportunity. It is proposed that there should be a Royal Commission on Wednesday, which will be necessary for the Army and Air Force (Annual) Bill and any other Bills that are ready to receive the Royal Assent by that date. It will be necessary to have a sitting of the House on Thursday to give the First Reading to the Rent Restrictions Bill, which is due from another place; but, so far as I can see at the present moment, that sitting is likely to be only a formal one. As regards the Recess, I understand that it is your Lordships' wish that the House shall not meet again until the beginning of May. That will entail two consequences. The first is that authority should be given to the noble and learned Lord on the Woolsack to summon the House earlier, should that become desirable, in view of the fact that another place, as my noble friend knows, meets on April 26. The other consequence is that we shall have to have a heavy week in the week following.

I propose to ask the House to meet on Monday, May 2, to take the Second Reading of the Rent Restriction Bill; and then on the following day, May 3, there will be the Second Reading of the Coal Bill. I think that a number of your Lordships are likely to take part in that debate and that it is very likely to last over Wednesday and Thursday; if not, it is proposed that we should take the Committee stage of the Housing (Agricultural Population) (Scotland) Bill, which we have been considering to-day. But I think it probable that the Coal Bill may last over Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I am not at present able to say how many speakers there will be, and if necessary, of course, we would sit after dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday; but I am told that I have over-estimated the number of speakers, and that we are not likely to be put to a practice to which I was very much accustomed in pre-War days. I think that is all I can say at present, but I do not know if there are any further questions which the noble Lord would like to ask.

LORD SNELL

Thank you.

House adjourned at twenty-two minutes past seven o'clock.