PARLIAMENT — ADJOURNMENT — RESIGNATION OF MINISTERS—STATEMENT OF MR. GLADSTONE — ARRANGEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS. (Hansard, 9 June 1885)

MR. GLADSTONE
Immediately on having arrived at the hour when Public Business usually commences, I am desirous of addressing a very few words to the House—and I do so before any Questions have been addressed to my Colleagues or to myself, on the ground that I perceive that some or many of these Questions relate to the intentions and views of responsible Ministers; and, therefore, if the House concurs in the views I entertain of the present situation, these Questions are obviously of a nature which had better be deferred. In consequence of the division of last night, the House will not be surprised when I state that the Cabinet which assembled to-day have thought it their duty, through me, to submit a dutiful communication to Her Majesty. It would be altogether premature on my part, were I, at present, to allude particularly to the nature of that communication. But I will say to the House, as has been said on former occasions—what indeed is obvious—that some few days must elapse before the result of that communication can be arrived at, so as to be made known to the House. Obvious reasons, both of convenience and propriety, and I think invariable custom, have established the rule that during 1518 intervals of the nature of that which is now before us the House refrains from the transaction of its ordinary Business. I propose, Sir, to act upon that principle myself, by making a Motion to the effect that the House, at its rising, do adjourn until Friday next. I make that Motion before the Motion for the adjournment of the House, and allow an interval between them—first, because it is no right of mine to proscribe the transaction of Business should the House be inclined to attempt it; but I humbly venture to recommend that the usual practice should be adhered to. It would be unnecessary, I think, that we should go through the form of postponing the Orders of the Day, because, by the Rules of the House, those Orders which are on the Paper in the interval would re-appear as dropped Orders when the House re-assembled; and it would then be the pleasure of the House, without doubt, to make suitable arrangements with respect to them. It would, however, be desirable that the usual Motion should be made to allow the Sittings of Committees to continue—therein also adhering to the established practice of Parliament. Sir, under these circumstances, I think I have no more to say, except to make the Motion, "That this House will, at the rising of the House this day, adjourn till Friday next."

§ SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE
Mr. Speaker, I think that the course which the right hon. Gentleman proposes is, as he says, both convenient and usual. The only question which I wish to ask him is this. I did not quite understand whether it is his intention, as soon as this Motion, "That the House, at its rising, will adjourn till Friday," shall have been adopted, immediately to move the adjournment of the House, or whether he proposes that other Business should be carried on? I should also wish to ask him whether he considers that there is any Business which would be likely to be of special importance to be transacted in connection with the Parliamentary Elections (Redistribution) Bill in the other House? I do not know whether that is a matter on which the right hon. Gentleman is pre- 1519 pared to give the House any information; but I put that question because, as the House is aware, the question of the Parliamentary Elections (Redistribution) Bill is a question in which days are of importance.

MR. GLADSTONE
May I be allowed, Sir, to reply to the question of the right hon. Gentleman? I did intend to make myself clear to this effect—that although I have no right, and it would be going out of the usual course, to make a Motion for the purpose of forcibly putting aside Business which is on the Paper—yet certainly the recommendation I ventured to submit to the House was that it should entertain the Motion for the adjournment of the House before the regular Business is commenced. The only reason, as far as my views are concerned, for any interval at all, after the first Motion, which is now in the hands of the Speaker, is simply this—that it is usual and convenient to make a Motion to allow Committees to sit notwithstanding the adjournment of the House. The right hon. Gentleman has referred to a point of considerable importance, which has not escaped my attention—namely, whether we shall reserve to ourselves a discretion to ask the House to proceed with any matter relating to the Parliamentary Elections (Redistribution) Bill, in case occasion should arise. That subject, Sir, had not escaped our attention; and what I have to observe upon it, in the first place, and principally, is that it does not depend upon us, but upon the House of Lords, to regulate the proceedings in such a way as to bring the subject before us or not. If the House of Lords should think fit to carry forward the Parliamentary Elections (Redistribution) Bill so as to cause it to reach this House at the time when we reassemble on Friday, it certainly would then be our duty to consider and to advise the House to the best of our ability as to the propriety of proceeding to deal with any Amendments which have been made by the House of Lords. That would be undoubtedly an unusual proceeding, and it would be one which could only be justified by a joint reference to two considerations, one of them that the other House of Parliament had thought fit to make a precedent, on the ground of what it conceived to be urgent public reasons, for proceeding with a particular 1520 piece of Business, notwithstanding the adjournment of the House under peculiar circumstances; and the other, that we were of opinion that those peculiar circumstances were such that the need for going forward speedily with the Parliamentary Elections (Redistribution) Bill was so urgent as, when taken in connection with the general concurrence of opinion as to every important matter of principle embraced in the Bill, might possibly render it our duty to raise the question notwithstanding the peculiarity of the position in which we stand. That question, however, I think I had better reserve for the present, inasmuch as it cannot arise, unless it be in consequence of proceedings, which may or may not be taken in the other House, with respect to which, of course, I have no authentic information. Authentic information is more likely to be in the possession of the right hon. Gentleman opposite than in mine; but, so far as any information has reached me, it was not to the effect that the House of Lords was likely to proceed with the Bill in the interval which has to elapse between this time and Friday.

MR. GLADSTONE
I beg now to move, "That all Committees have leave to sit, notwithstanding the Adjournment of the House."

MR. GLADSTONE
And, Sir, interpreting the silence of the House to mean consent, I beg leave to move, "That this House do now adjourn."