§ Bill considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§ MR. W. O'BRIEN (Tyrone, S.)I beg to move, Sir, that you report Progress, and ask leave to sit again. My 907 hon. and learned Friend the Member for South Derry (Mr. T. M. Healy), who is not here now, has a very important Amendment, and I think he ought to have an opportunity of bringing it on.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Chairman do report Progress, and ask leave to sit again."—(Mr. W. O'Brien.)
§ DR. CAMERON (Glasgow, College)I hope the hon. Member will not press his Motion, and for this reason. The Bill has been on the Paper for several weeks past, and the hon. and learned Member for South Derry (Mr. T. M. Healy) has put down a Motion on it for the discussion of another matter altogether. The difficulty which the Bill is intended to meet is this—that in the case of a Member being elected to this House who was a lunatic, there would be no means of vacating the seat, as his state of mind would incapacitate him from resigning his seat. Such a case has been before the House, and therefore a measure on these lines is very necessary. There is another Amendment on the Paper which I am perfectly willing to accept. It is simply the matter of the alteration of a word in the title of the Act. I trust that, under the circumstances, the hon. Gentleman will not interfere with the passage of the Bill through Committee.
§ MR. SEXTON (Sligo, S.)I have no desire to delay the Bill; but I cannot understand the extraordinary haste of the hon. Member for Glasgow (Dr. Cameron) in this matter. If the Bill is worth passing at all, it is worth passing properly; and in the absence of an assurance from my hon. and learned Friend the Member for South Derry (Mr. T. M. Healy), we cannot allow this Bill to go on at the present time.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir CHARLES RUSSELL) (Hackney, S.)The Government do not desire to go on with the Bill at the present time, if the hon. and learned Member for South Derry (Mr. T. M. Healy) seriously desires to move his Amendment.
§ MR. O'BRIEN (Tyrone, S.)The hon. and learned Member for South Derry (Mr. T. M. Healy) does most seriously intend to move his Amendment, and until we get an assurance from him that he is satisfied, we cannot allow the Bill to go on.
§ DR. CAMERON (Glasgow, College)I have no desire to push this Bill through with too much haste. It has, however, been postponed already to enable the hon. and learned Member for South Derry (Mr. T. M. Healy) to bring on his Amendment, but he has not done so.
§ MR. SEXTON (Sligo, S.)If the hon. and learned Member for South Derry is not here on the next occasion, we will arrange that someone else on these Benches shall move the Amendment for him.
§ THE CHAIRMAN (Mr. COURTNEY) (Cornwall, Bodmin)I would point out, as a matter of Order, that it is very doubtful if the Bill could be enlarged as suggested in the Amendment. As it at present stands, the Amendment means nothing in relation to the Bill.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Committee report Progress; to sit again To-morrow.