§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN (Stirling Burghs)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether it is his intention to bring forward the question of electoral redistribution during this session; and, if so, seeing that the opportunities of adequate discussion are rapidly dwindling, whether fie will now communicate his intention to the House.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes, as I think I have more than once signified to the House, the Government do intend to proceed with the Resolution.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANIn view of the advanced period of the session, will the right hon. Gentleman at once place the terms of the Resolution on the Paper in order that the House may have plenty of time to consider it?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI will endeavour to give adequate time for considering the terms of the Govemment's Resolution, but I cannot promise to place them at once upon the Table of the House.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANIf they are not placed on the Table at once the time will not be ample.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI think that when the right hon. Gentleman comes to consider them he will not deny that 790 there is adequate time to deal with the question. I do not know how long he desires to consider this Resolution. It is of an extremely simple character.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI appeal to the right hon. Gentleman, in a matter of this tremendous importance, in regard to which we have no idea of the general scope and extent of the proposals of the Government, whether it would not be right and only due to the House that they should have, certainly with no more delay than a few days from this, the terms which it is intended to ask them to agree to.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not think the Question, in the terms in which the right hon. Gentleman has now put it, is at all unreasonable. In a few days I hope to be able to put the resolution before the House.