§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That all Petitions deposited at the office of the Secretary for Scotland, pursuant to General Order 77 in favour of or against any proposed Provisional Order the provisions of which are subsequently proceeded with as a Bill in this House under Second 2 (4) of the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act, 1899, shall, on transmission from the office of the Secretary for Scotland, be received as if duly deposited in favour of or against such Bill."—(The Chairman of Ways and Means.)
* THE CHAIRMAN OF WAYS AND MEANS (Mr. J. W. LOWTUKR,) Cumberland, PenrithI may perhaps be allowed to briefly explain this motion. The House will remember that under the Private Bill Procedure (Scotland) Act it became the duty of the Lord Chairman and myself to divide the Provisional Orders which had been sent into the Scotch Office, and to place them into two separate classes—one of which should go forward as Provisional Orders and the other as private Bills. The question arose what was to become of the petitions presented against those Provisional Orders which it was decided should go forward as Bills No provision had been made for dealing with them, and the parties who had petitioned were afraid that they would have to present fresh petitions in this House. The motion which I now have the honour to make is intended to obviate that necessity, and the petitions which have been presented at the Scotch Office against these Provisional Orders will come here and be treated as petitions against private Bills.
§ MR. JOHN ELLIS (Nottinghamshire, Rushclitfe)said he understood that the motion was to repair what might be described as an omission from the Act, and it related only to the particular petitions specified by the right hon. Gentleman. If the right hon. Gentleman had satisfied himself that the motion did not go beyond that, and that other petitions would have to be deposited in the usual way, there would be no objection to the motion.
* MR. J. W. LOWTHERThat is so. But it may be desirable, before the end of the session, to introduce a Standing Order to cover cases of omission like this.
§ MR. CALDWELL (Lanarkshire, Mid)Will it be possible to present any fresh petitions against these Bills?
* MR. J. W. LOWTHERNo; I do not think it will be competent for that to be done. The time for the presentation of petitions is fixed by Act of Parliament, and I do not think fresh ones can be deposited after that date. But if the hon. Member wishes to bind me to an answer I should like to have notice of the question.
§ Question put, and agreed to.