BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 11 April 1854)

§ LORD JOHN RUSSELL
said, he would now move that during the remainder of the Session Orders of the Day should have precedence of Notices of Motion upon Thursdays. He wished to take that opportunity of stating that if that Motion was acceded to, he should propose this evening that the Oxford University Bill be committed pro formâ, in order to its being recommitted on Thursday, the 27th 873 instant, and that on the 1st of May his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade would move that the House go into Committee on the Railway Bill. A question had been asked of his right hon. Friend the President of the Poor Law Board, with respect to the Settlement and Removal Bill, which was fixed for the 28th of April. He was in hopes that his right hon. Friend would have been present in the House to-night, but as he was not, he (Lord J. Russell) would therefore say that it was not proposed to go on with that Bill in the course of the present Session. The Government proposed, however, that his right hon. Friend should move for a Select Committee to consider the law and practice with regard to the removal of Irish paupers from England and Scotland, and of Scotch and English paupers from Ireland.

§ COLONEL SIBTHORP
said, he should move that the Motion should be amended by inserting the words "on alternate Thursdays" in lieu of "on Thursdays." The practice of taking Government orders on alternate Thursdays had been tried with good effect three years ago.

§ LORD JOHN RUSSELL
said, he must explain that he did not mean to propose that Government Orders should have precedence on any Thursday—all he proposed was, that Orders generally should have precedence on Thursdays. He thought it would be an improvement also that Bills whose committal has been commenced, but not concluded, on a Wednesday, should stand over for Thursday.

§ MR. DISRAELI
said, he must oppose the Motion, because, as both the Reform Bill and the Settlement and Removal of the Poor Bill had been withdrawn, there was no prospect of any such pressure on the Government as would render it necessary that independent Members should relinquish their privileges. The Government ought, at all events, to be content with every alternate Thursday. The privileges of private Members should not be wantonly abridged, for nothing was more probable than that they might have to invite the House to consider the policy of the Government during the progress of the war.

§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
, said, he would remind the House that the Miscellaneous Estimates yet re-remained to be laid upon the table. The consideration of those Estimates would occupy a great deal of time, and during the discussion which must take place upon 874 them the utmost possible facility would exist for putting any questions which hon. Members might desire to put to the Government, or of making any Motion with reference to the conduct of Her Majesty's Ministers, which it might be deemed advisable to make. He would add, also, that the Miscellaneous Estimates during the present year would be upon a much larger scale than usual, inasmuch as the Government were, for the first time, about to submit to the consideration of the House Estimates with regard to the expenses attendant upon the collection of the revenue, and the usual facility of putting questions to Ministers, to which he had alluded, would, of course, be proportionally increased.

§ SIR BENJAMIN HALL
said, he would suggest that the public business would be materially advanced if hon. Gentlemen on both sides of the House would consent to mitigate the extent of their speeches.

§ MR. WALPOLE
said, he did not altogether approve of the Motion of the noble Lord. He should have no objection that precedence should be given to Government Orders of the Day, but he was by no means desirous that that course should be taken with reference to Orders of the Day relating to business of which independent Members had the charge.

MR. HUME
said, he had no objection to the Motion, but he thought the Government ought, immediately after Easter, to bring in all Bills they intend to press this Session.

§ MR. W. WILLIAMS
said, he must coin plain that Members did not confine them-solve to Motions on Tuesday and Thursdays, but brought on long discussions on going into Committee of Supply, which he thought unfair. He was of opinion that there should be some change in that respect.

§ MR. SPOONER
said, he wished to call the attention of the noble Lord (Lord John Russell) and the right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade to the inconvenience of the arrangement which fixed the further proceeding with the Oxford University Bill for Thursday, the 27th, and the following and the Railway Bill on the Monday following. Three or four important private Bills had been postponed until the Railway Bill was passed, and if it was delayed, those Bills would be left so late in the Session as to stand no chance of passing. He thought the Railway Bill should come on first.

§ MR. CARDWELL
said, that the Railway Bill was fixed for the day in question at the express wish of those interested in the Bill, and he did not believe that there would be any unnecessary delay by that course.

§ MR. DEEDES
said, he wished to ask the noble Lord the Member for the City of London what course he proposed to take with respect to the Bill which had been introduced affecting those constituencies in whose case a Report had been made by recent Commissions, and who were not at present represented in that House? He also was anxious to learn from the noble Lord the Secretary for the Home Department if it was his intention to call upon the House to legislate, in the course of the present Session, upon the subject of the general police of the country?

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
It is the intention of the Government to proceed to legislate on the subject of a general police throughout the country.

§ LORD JOHN RUSSELL,
in reply to the question of the hon. Member for East Kent (Mr. Deedes), would state that, in his opinion, it was extremely desirable that they should proceed during the present Session with the Bill to which that question referred.

§ MR. LAING
said, he would advert to the great interest which the people of Scotland took in the Scottish Education Bill, and the disappointment they would feel if anything occurred to prevent its being proceeded with in the course of the present Session.

§ COLONEL SIBTHORP
said, he would withdraw his Amendment.