§ MR. COURTENAY WARNERI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he will give the House some idea as to when the new Army proposals are to be discussed.
§ MAJOR RASCH (Essex, Chelmsford)May I at the same time ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he can now without inconvenience state approximately the date of the debate on the resolution of the Secretary of State for War.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am very reluctant to give what is called an approximate statement as to the business of the House, for I find that forecasts are apt to be interpreted as special pledges; and I hope that on the present occasion nothing that I say will be taken as a pledge. Our present view is this—that we should finish the proceedings on the Budget resolution and read the Budget Bill a first time. [Cries of "When?"] As soon as we can. Unfortunately it does not rest with me to settle the length of the debate. We propose that the next business should be the Civil List resolution and the reading of the Civil List Bill a first time; that we then proceed with the Army resolution, and then go to the Second Reading of the Finance Bill. I ought to add that, of course, nothing I have said, it must be understood, will preclude us from using any part of a 1343 broken day for other Government business.