THIRD READING. (Hansard, 7 August 1890)

§ (4.14.) MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)
I have no wish to detain the House, but will the right hon. Gentleman tell the House and the country whether the Employers' Liability Bill is to be carried on from year to year, or whether a serious attempt will be made next Session to pass it into law? If the 3rd section were entirely dropped, though I regret that the attempt of the Select Committee of 1886 to provide against all injuries, whether or not actionable, has failed, I believe there would be no serious difficulty in passing the Bill through the House, and it would effect an enormous improvement in the law. In the present year, grievous cases have come under my knowledge in which poor men have not been able to get justice owing to the defects in the law. It is a great pity that it has been found impossible to come to some arrangement. It is a bad thing that a Bill should have been repeatedly mentioned in the Queen's Speech and nothing be done, and I hope to hear from the right hon. Gentleman that it is not intended to hang up the Bill from year to year.

§ MR. SEXTON
What are the two Private Members' Bills which the Govern- 114 ment are desirous of seeing passed into law?

§ MR. W. H. SMITH
One of the Bills which the Government desire to see passed is the Intoxicating Liquors (Ireland) Bill. So far as the Government are concerned, they desire to pass the Employers' Liability Bill, and they entertain a hope that it may be possible to do so. The Government do not relinquish the hope that it may be possible next Session to deal with the question, but they cannot enter into any engagement.

§ MR. STOREY (Sunderland)
The right hon. Gentleman said there were two Private Members' Bills the Government wished to see passed, but he only mentioned one.

§ MR. W. H. SMITH
The other is in the House of Lords. As far as I know there are none on the Paper which we desire to see passed except the one I have mentioned.