MR. GOLDSMIDI wish to ask you, Mr. Speaker, a question of Order in consequence of an occurrence which took place in the House on Friday night at a very late period of the evening. Doubtless, Sir, you will remember that three Members of Her Majesty's Government—namely, the hon. Baronet the Under Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sir Henry Selwin-Ibbetson), the 650 right hon. Gentleman the President of the Local Government Board (Mr. Sclater-Booth), and the hon. Gentleman the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade (Mr. Cavendish Bentinck), one after the other, when the list of Bills upon the Paper had been exhausted, got up and asked the House to consider Amendments which had been made in the House of Lords to Bills under their charge, but not mentioned in the Notices of the House. Now, Sir, as it appears to me that a proceeding like this is calculated to destroy those feelings of confidence which ought to exist between the Government and the House with regard to the business which is likely to be brought before it, as Amendments of very great importance may be passed without anybody happening to know that they were going to be brought on, and as it was only by an accident that my hon. Friend the Member for Swansea (Mr. Dillwyn) and myself were here at that very late hour to object to those Amendments being considered, I venture to ask you, Sir, what is the proper practice with regard to the consideration of Amendments on Bills which have come down from the House of Lords, and whether Notice ought not to be given that those Amendments will be considered by placing a Notice upon the Paper in the same way as has been done to-day with regard to some Bills? I venture to ask the practice of the House in this respect in order that hon. Members may not be taken by surprise.
§ MR. SPEAKERThe question of the consideration of Lords Amendments is regulated by a Standing Order of the House, which I will read to the House. It is dated July 19, 1854, and is to this effect—
That Lords Amendments to Public Bills shall be appointed to be considered on a future day, unless the House shall order them to be considered forthwith.No doubt the usual practice of the House has been to appoint the consideration of Lords Amendments on a future day, but in cases where expedition is necessary, it has been the practice of the House occasionally—especially at a late period of the Session—to order that those Amendments shall be considered forthwith, without notice. But on such occasions the hon. Member in charge of such Bills is bound to satisfy the House that expedition is necessary.