BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 30 August 1895)

MR. T. M. HEALY
I wish to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether there will be a Saturday sitting tomorrow?

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
Yes, Sir, there will be a Saturday sitting.

MR. T. M. HEALY
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, I do not know how 1263 the Saturday sitting is going to be obtained under the Rules of the House. There is no notice on the Paper to-day. I wish to ask whether notice is not necessary?

§ * MR. SPEAKER
No notice is necessary.

MR. T. M. HEALY
Is it not necessary to give notice, Mr. Speaker, before you leave the Chair to-night?

§ * MR. SPEAKER
There is no necessity for notice.

§ MR. J. G. WEIR
asked the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the House, if he could not arrange to close the sitting of the House on Saturday before midnight?

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
said, there was no necessity for any proposal on the part of the Government with regard to Saturday's sitting. That was a matter which must be left to the decision of the House.

§ MR. R. MCKENNA (Monmouthshire, N.)
asked whether the Government would proceed with the Berriew School Bill, having regard to the fact that it was highly contentious?

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
said, if his memory served him aright, some irregularity occurred in regard to the Bill brought in by the last Government in reference to this matter.

§ MR. MCKENNA
said, he understood that the Vice-President of the Council stated that this Bill was contentious.

§ MR. J. DILLON (Mayo, E.)
asked when the Government intended to take the Irish Evicted Tenants Bill?

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
It will be introduced on Saturday, and the Second Reading will be taken, if circumstances permit, on Monday.

§ MR. MAURICE HEALY
May I ask if the Saturday Sitting will be fixed by Order of the House?

§ * MR. SPEAKER
Yes.

§ MR. MAURICE HEALY
When will the question be put?

§ *MR. SPEAKER
I cannot say. That will be for the Member of the Government who is in charge of the Order. The Twelve o'clock rule is suspended.

§ MR. MAURICE HEALY
Will the question require to be put from the Chair?

§ MR. SPEAKER
Yes.

MR. T. M. HEALY
said, he understood the proposal was to fix a Saturday Sitting which might last after midnight, and of course they would have an opportunity of debating the terms and conditions under which they were to sit. He thought that would be for the convenience of the House, as there was no rule regulating Saturday Sittings, and as they had in 1880 and 1881 sat into Sunday. He asked whether it was not possible to come to some amicable arrangement as to this Saturday Sitting?

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
I am entirely in favour of an amicable arrangement. The plan of the Government has already been stated, and our desire is to get to-night the remainder of the Civil Service Votes and the Navy Estimate, and, of course, the Report of Supply. To-morrow we propose to take the Votes on the Army Estimates, and some stages of the Bills of which the Government has given notice. I cannot conceive that this programme is one which would necessitate any very prolonged exertion of the House on Saturday, or the sitting to an untimely hour as was suggested by the hon. Member for Ross-shire. I hope the hon. and learned Member for North Louth will see that the statement I have made is a satisfactory one, and that an amicable understanding may be arrived at.

MR. T. M. HEALY
said, one of the Orders that was down for that night was the Second Reading of the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill, which involved the renewal of the Arms Act. He presumed the Government would take the Committee stage on Saturday, and that might bring the sitting up to midnight or into Sunday. He suggested that the Government should fix an early limit, such as six o'clock, beyond which they would not sit on Saturday. On Wednesday last, although they had been told that they should not sit late, they had sat up till two o'clock.

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
What I said with regard to Wednesday was that we hoped we should not have a very late sitting. The same hope exists with regard to to-morrow; and it is our earnest wish that that hope should become a practical reality, I am convinced that the hon. 1265 Member will feel that there is nothing excessive in the demand which the Government propose to make.

MR. T. M. HEALY
said, he must not be taken as concurring in that view.

§ MR. MAURICE HEALY
asked the Speaker whether, when the question of a Saturday Sitting was put, it would be competent to move as an Amendment that the sitting take place under the Six o'clock Rule?

§ * MR. SPEAKER
No, there is an Order of the House that the Six o'clock Rule be suspended. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the Day.