HC Deb 27 July 1888 vol 329 cc676-7
SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT (Derby)

As I shall not be able to make any observation upon the Motion which the right hon. Gentleman the First Lord of the Treasury is about to make, I desire to ask him a Question in relation to the course of Public Business before he makes it. There is, undoubtedly, a desire on the part of all sections of the House that the Local Government Bill shall become law as speedily as possible, and every effort, I am sure, will be made to make rapid progress with it. I suppose, however, that in the event of the Report stage not being closed until a very late hour, the right hon. Gentleman will not press the third reading of the Bill to-night at a time when it would be impossible to make observations upon the Bill in general?

THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)

I must ask the House to consider that the inevitable effect of the right hon. Gentleman's proposal not to take the third reading of the Local Government Bill to-night would be to delay the adjournment of the Session for three or four days. If we do not take the third reading of the measure to-night it cannot be taken for three or four days, with the result that we shall be kept here much later in the month of August than the right hon. Gentleman himself would desire. I hope we may trust to the good and cordial feeling with which the Bill is regarded from all quarters to permit it to be read a third time to-night, without any great discussion, after the Report stage has been passed. If that course is followed it will result in great advantage to Public Business and to the convenience of hon. Members.

SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT

I am sure that we are as desirous as the right hon. Gentleman can be not unnecessarily to delay the adjournment of the House for the Recess; but I do not think that the right hon. Gentleman would expect us to treat this measure as though it were not one of first-class importance.

MR. W. H. SMITH

I must leave the matter in the hands of the House; but I venture to express a hope that the Report stage may be concluded before a very late hour.