HC Deb 14 July 1904 vol 138 cc49-50
MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford)

asked the hon. Member for the Rushcliffe Division, as Chairman of the Standing Committee to which the Irish Labourers Bill had been committed, the reason why that Committee had been adjourned till next Wednesday.

MR. JOHN ELLIS (Nottinghamshire, Rushcliffe)

explained that the meeting of the Grand Committee on Trade which had been summoned for to-day to proceed with the consideration of the Labourers (Ireland) Bill had been adjourned by him, as Chairman, in consequence of a communication he had received from the Chief Secretary for Ireland that it was his desire to communicate with hon. Members with a view to placing some Amendments on the Paper which he thought might possibly meet the views of hon. Gentlemen on both sides, and that there was not time this week for him to do that.

MR. JOHN REDMOND,

addressing the Chief Secretary, said that so far no communication whatever in relation to the Bill had been received by the Irish Party from the right hon. Gentleman. In view of the period of the session and the great danger arising from any postponement of the consideration of this question, he hoped the right hon. Gentleman could give them some explanation of the action he had taken.

MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.)

asked whether there was any precedent for an opposed Bill being sent to a Grand Committee on 20th July.

MR. WYNDHAM

said he could not answer that. In reply to the hon. and learned Member for Waterford, he had to say that the Government had had to consider, in view of Amendments on the Paper from both sides of the House, whether they could not submit an Amendment or Amendments which would be likely to mitigate the criticism to which the measure was likely to be subjected. He had been in constant conference with the Vice-President on the matter, but, under the existing pressure of business, it had not been possible to come to a final decision on the subject. If there had been an error of judgment in asking for a postponement of the Grand Committee, it was he who committed it.

MR. JOHN REDMOND

said that if the Bill was lost through this postponement the responsibility must rest on the Government.