IRISH LAND BILL. (Hansard, 15 September 1909)

§ The CHIEF SECRETARY for IRELAND (Mr. Birrell)
moved, "That the Bill be recommitted to a Committee of the whole House in respect of the Amendments to Clauses 5, 10, 12, 15, 16, and 52, standing in the name of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Bristol, North."

§ Mr. WALTER LONG
On that Motion, may I ask a question on a point of Order? I wish to ascertain how we stand in regard to this matter. I am aware that, under the Order under which we are acting, no Debate can take place on any Motion which is moved from the Treasury Bench. We have, under the Motion, two days allotted for the Report stage. I think eight days were allotted for the Committee stage. I submit, as a point of Order, that, if this Motion is carried, we shall pass into Committee. That will give possibly another day for the Committee stage, and deprive us of part of that time for Report, which is set down by order of the Government and by the Motion of the House as the amount of time we ought to have for its consideration. I beg to ask you whether, as we are unable to debate this Motion, the carrying of it will not destroy in itself the Order under which we are acting, and by which we are to have two full days for the Report stage?

§ Mr. SPEAKER
The answer to that is that if the House goes into Committee again on this Bill, and sits in Committee during the greater part of the day, the order that two days be allotted to the Report stage would be, although not technically, in reality frustrated, and two days would not be given to the Report stage. But the procedure is permissible, and is, indeed, provided for, because, in the Reso- 2152 lution allocating the time, special arrangement is made that "no Motion to recommit the Bill shall be received unless moved by the Government," and, therefore, clearly the Resolution contemplates that a Motion for recommittal may be made. It is not a question for me what the effect may be. It is a question of equity, and I think the right hon. Gentleman will have to wait and see how much time is occupied in Committee. If a very long time is occupied there may be a good case for asking the Government to give another day for the Report stage. That can be done by again putting the Bill down, but not as the First Order.

§ Mr. MOORE
May I ask your ruling on this. The Bill having been called on, and you being in the Chair we have now entered on one of the allotted days for the Report stage. I beg to ask, if once we enter on an allotted day for the Report stage, and then go into Committee, even, though nothing may have been done on the allotted day beyond calling the title of the Bill, would it not be impossible, after having been in Committee, to resume the Report stage? And will not the result be in effect that we shall only have one day for that stage?

§ Mr. SPEAKER
I do not think that is so. As I said just now, it is always open to the Government to put down the Irish Land Bill as the Second Order—the first effective Order—but the Second Order on the Paper, and that will not make it an allotted day. It is only when it stands first on the Orders of the Day that it is an allotted day. Therefore, assuming, for the sake of argument, that the recommittal stage lasts till 11 o'clock to-night, and, therefore, practically occupies the whole day (which although set down for Report will not actually be taken up by the Report stage), hon. Members interested in the matter will have a very good equitable case to put to the Government to ask them for another day.

§ Mr. MAURICE HEALY
May I ask, is it competent for me to move an Amendment? The Standing Order provides that the Motion shall be put without Debate, but nothing is said about Amendments.

§ Mr. SPEAKER
The Standing Order says I must "forthwith" put the Question. If I put the Question "forthwith" I shall be unable to see the hon. Member, and to call upon him to move any Amendment.
2153 Question put, "That the Bill be re-committed to a Committee of the whole House in respect of the Amendments to Clauses 5, 10, 12, 13, 16, and 52, standing in the

Division No. 660.]	AYES.	[3.40 p.m.
Abraham, W. (Cork, N.E.)	Haldane, Rt. Hon. Richard B.	O'Dowd, John
Alden, Percy	Harcourt, Robert V. (Montrose)	O'Kelly, Conor (Mayo, N.)
Barker, Sir John	Harrington, Timothy	O'Kelly, James (Roscommon, N.)
Barnard, E. B.	Hart-Davies, T.	O'Shee, James John
Barry, Redmond J. (Tyrone, N.)	Harvey, W. E. (Derbyshire, N.E.)	Parker, James (Halifax)
Beck, A. Cecil	Healy, Maurice (Cork)	Partington, Oswald
Bellairs, Carlyon	Healy, Timothy Michael	Philips, John (Longford, S.)
Berridge, T. H. D.	Helme, Norval Watson	Pointer, J.
Birrell, Rt. Hon. Augustine	Henderson, Arthur (Durham)	Power, Patrick Joseph
Boland, John	Higham, John Sharp	Raphael, Herbert H.
Bowerman, C. W.	Hogan, Michael	Rea, Rt. Hon. Russell (Gloucester)
Bryce, J. Annan	Hope, John Deans (Fife, West)	Reddy, M.
Burns, Rt. Hon. John	Hope, W. H. B. (Somerset, N.)	Rees, J. D.
Burnyeat, W. J. D.	Howard, Hon. Geoffrey	Roberts, Charles H. (Lincoln)
Burt, Rt. Hon. Thomas	Isaacs, Rufus Daniel	Robson, Sir William Snowdon
Buxton, Rt. Hon. Sydney Charles	Jardine, Sir J.	Roch, Walter F. (Pembroke)
Carr-Gomm, H. W.	Jones, Leif (Appleby)	Roe, Sir Thomas
Channing, Sir Francis Allston	Jones, William (Carnarvonshire)	Rose, Sir Charles Day
Cherry, Rt. Hon. R. R.	Jowett, F. W.	Rutherford, V. H. (Brentford)
Clancy, John Joseph	Joyce, Michael	Samuel, Rt. Hon. H. L. (Cleveland)
Clough, William	Kavanagh, Walter M.	Scanlan, Thomas
Collins, Stephen (Lambeth)	Kennedy, Vincent Paul	Seely, Colonel
Condon, Thomas Joseph	Kilbride, Denis	Shackleton, David James
Corbett, C. H. (Sussex, E. Grinstead)	Lardner, James Carrige Rushe	Sheehy, David
Crosfield, A. H.	Lewis, John Herbert	Sherwell, Arthur James
Cullinan, J.	Lloyd-George, Rt. Hon. David	Smyth, Thomas F. (Leitrim, S.)
Curran, Peter Francis	Lundon, T.	Snowdon, P.
Davies, Timothy (Fulham)	Lynch, A. (Clare, W.)	Stanley, Albert (Staffs, N.W)
Davies, Sir W. Howell (Bristol, S.)	MacVeagh, Jeremiah (Down, S.)	Stanley, Hon. A. Lyulph (Cheshire)
Delany, William	MacVeigh, Charles (Donegal, E.)	Strachey, Sir Edward
Dewar, Arthur (Edinburgh, S.)	M'Laren, H. D. (Stafford, W.)	Straus, B. S. (Mile End)
Dickinson, W. H. (St. Pancras, N.)	M'Micking, Major G.	Summerbell, T.
Dillon, John	Markham, Arthur Basil	Taylor, John W. (Durham)
Duffy, William J.	Marnham, F. J.	Tennant, Sir Edward (Salisbury)
Edwards, Sir Francis (Radnor)	Masterman, C. F. G.	Tennant, H. J. (Berwickshire)
Ellis, Rt. Hon. John Edward	Meehan, Patrick A. (Queen's Co.)	Thorne, G. R. (Wolverhampton)
Erskine, David C.	Menzies, Sir Walter	Thorne, William (West Ham)
Essex, R. W.	Middlebrook, William	Verney, F. W.
Esslemont, George Birnie	Molteno, Percy Alport	Ward, W. Dudley (Southampton)
Evans, Sir S. T.	Mooney, J. J.	Wason, Rt. Hon. E. (Clackmannan)
Everett, R. Lacey	Morgan. J. Lloyd (Carmarthen)	Watt, Henry A.
Falconer, J.	Morrell, Philip	White, J. Dundas (Dumbartonshire)
Farrell, James Patrick	Muldoon, John	White, Sir Luke (York, E.R.)
Fenwick, Charles	Murnaghan, George	White, Patrick (Meath, North)
Ferguson, R. C. Munro	Murphy, John (Kerry, East)	Wilson, Henry J. (York, W.R.)
Ffrench, Peter	Myer, Horatio	Wilson, P. W. (St. Pancras, S.)
Flynn, James Christopher	Nannetti, Joseph P.	Wilson, W. T. (Westhoughton)
Gilhooly, James	Nicholls, George	Wood, T. M'Kinnon
Gill, A. H.	Norman, Sir Henry	Young, Samuel
Ginnell, L.	O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny)
Gladstone, Rt. Hon. Herbert John	O'Connor, John (Kildare, N.)	TELLERS FOR THE AYES.—Captain Norton and Mr. Fuller.
Glendinning, R. G.	O'Connor, T. P. (Liverpool)
NOES.
Acland-Hood, Rt. Hon. Sir Alex. F.	Dickson, Rt. Hon. C. Scott	Magnus, Sir Philip
Baicarres, Lord	Douglas, Rt. Hon. A. Akers-	Mason, James F. (Windsor)
Banbury, Sir Frederick George	Duncan, Robert (Lanark, Govan)	Moore, William
Banner, John S. Harmood-	Fell, Arthur	Morpeth, Viscount
Barrie, H. T. (Londonderry, N.)	Gordon, J.	Parker, Sir Gilbert (Gravesend)
Bowles, G. Stewart	Hardy, Laurence (Kent, Ashford)	Peel, Hon. W. R. W.
Butcher, Samuel Henry	Harrison-Broadley, H. B.	Powell, Sir Francis Sharp
Campbell, Rt. Hon. J. H. M.	Illingworth, Percy H.	Scott, Sir S. (Marylebone, W.)
Cecil, Evelyn (Aston Manor)	Joynson-Hicks, William	Sheffield, Sir Berkeley George D.
Cecil, Lord R. (Marylebone, E.)	Kennaway, Rt. Hon. Sir John H.	Stanier, Beville
Clark, George Smith	Kimber, Sir Henry	Talbot, Lord E. (Chichester)
Clive, Percy Archer	Lee, Arthur H. (Hants, Fareham)	Thornton, Percy M.
Corbett, T. L. (Down, North)	Long, Rt. Hon. Walter (Dublin, S.)	Wyndham, Rt. Hon. George
Courthope, G. Loyd	Lonsdale, John Brownlee	Younger, George
Craig, Charles Curtis (Antrim, S.)	MacCaw, Wm. J. MacGeagh
Craig, Captain James (Down, E.)	M'Arthur, Charles	TELLERS FOR THE NOES.—Viscount
Craik, Sir Henry	M'Calmont, Col. James	Valentia and Mr. H. W. Forster.