§ SIR THOMAS ESMONDE (Kerry, W.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he will agree to the appointment of a Committee to inquire whether any change can be made in the method of procedure regarding private Members' Bills?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.The subject to which the honourable Gentleman refers is one of immense range, and it might be said to include an examination into the cause and effects of the growing tendency to leave legislation of a far-reaching character more and more in the hands of the Government of the day. Such an investigation would go far beyond a mere examination of the working of a particular Standing Order, and, indeed, would go to the very root of our legislative system. Without pronouncing a final judgment on the subject, I do not think we could with advantage embark on such a vast enterprise at the present moment.