PUBLIC BUSINESS. (Hansard, 23 February 1842)

§ Mr. E. Buller
inquired when the right hon. Baronet, the First Lord of the Treasury, proposed going into Committee of Ways and Means?

§ Sir R. Peel
said, it was his intention to proceed with no public business till the resolutions relating to the Corn-laws were disposed of by the House. The strongest complaints were made to him of the inconvenience felt in the corn-trade in consequence of the House not coming to a decision. He was not responsible for the length of the debate, nor could he interfere with the course which other Gentlemen might think fit to take, but it was of the utmost importance that the decision of the House should be pronounced on the resolutions, and that he should be enabled to bring in a bill, and, therefore, he would interpose no impediment in the way of that result.

§ Mr. F. T. Baring
asked, if he was to understand that the Chancellor of the Exchequer's motion relative to the frauds in Exchequer-bills would be postponed.

§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer
said, it must be postponed, unless the resolutions were passed by the House that night.

§ Mr. Hawes
said, the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer had announced to the House, on the day previous, that he would bring on the subject of the Exchequer-bills to-morrow, yet now the right hon. Baronet said, he would not interpose any public business in the way of the passing of the resolutions. Now it was quite impossible to suppose they could all pass to-night as they were very long, and there were not only the rates of duty to be considered, but the questions connected with the averages.

§ Sir R. Peel
said, he could not prevent hon. Gentlemen from debating this subject to any length they pleased. He had no right to complain; he would only repeat, that he would not bring forward any other public business till the House had an opportunity of deciding, not on the whole of the bill, but on the preliminary resolutions essential to the plan. He thought it was really only fair to the public interests, that they should apply their minds to the question before entering on any other discussion.

§ Mr. C. Wood
did not think any hon. Gentleman would complain of the course which the right hon. Baronet had jest announced it to be his intention to adopt, but his announcement of to-night was directly at variance with that which had been made before. It had been understood, that the debate on the motion of the hon. Member for Wolverhampton being disposed of, the subject of Exchequer-bills should be brought on on Thursday, and that on Friday the motion of the hon. Member for North Lincoln, relative to the new scale of corn duties, should be taken. The right hon. Baronet now said, as he (Mr. C. Wood) understood him, that the notice of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and all other business, was to be postponed, and that it was his intention to proceed with the debate on the Corn-law Bill from day to day. He wished to ask the right hon. Baronet if he intended to take precedence of all notices on notice days, and to move that orders have 900 precedence of notices on notice days, till these resolutions were disposed of.

§ Sir R. Peel
had no wish to interfere with the private discretion of Members, but hoped that those who had notices on the paper might feel it expedient to give way. That was all he could do, but he knew from communications he had received, that he was acting in conformity with the sense of the commercial public, who had a strong wish that the sense of the House should be taken on the corn question.

§ Mr. Hawes
was perfectly satisfied with the right hon. Baronet's explanation, though it was at variance with the former announcement. He observed, that Government had fixed some important business for Wednesdays, which would have the effect of depriving private Members of their only day.

§ Sir R. Peel
said, that before introducing his plan on Wednesday, he had asked permission of Members who had notices for that day. If any Member claimed the right to proceed on a Wednesday, he certainly should not he disposed to interfere, except in case of an adjourned debate.

§ Colonel Rawdon
inquired, whether the noble Lord, the Secretary for Ireland, intended to bring forward the bill of which he had given notice, to remedy the defects of the law regulating Presbyterian marriages in Ireland?

Mr. O'Connell
suggested, that as there would be no opposition to such a measure, no impediment would be thrown in the way of other important business if it were immediately introduced and speedily passed into a law.

§ Sir R. Peel
was ready to admit, that such a case of special grievance should form an exception to the rule he had laid down, and he, therefore, had no doubt his noble Friend would shortly introduce a measure upon the subject.