§ Sir DONALD MACLEANMay I ask whether the Government have come to a definite decision as to keeping the Irish Bill on the floor of the House for the Committee stage, and, if that is so, has my right hon. Friend any intimation to make to us?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWYes, Sir. As I indicated in the Home Rule Debate, we hope that, for the general convenience of the House, we might adopt the same practice which was carried out so successfully with regard to finance before Easter. I propose, therefore, if the Whips of the other parties are agreeable, to set up a Committee now to allocate the time, which the Government suggest should be twenty days, for the whole of the remaining stages of the Home Rule Bill. Of course the practice adopted in regard to finance, where there was no Resolution of the House, depended on complete unanimity. I am afraid we cannot get that, from the indications which have been given, but, even so, I think, and I hope the House will agree, that it would be a great thing if we accepted the precedent of having the time allocated by the opinion of the House instead of by the Government, and I hope the House will approve.
§ Lord R. CECILDoes my right hon. Friend intend to move a guillotine Resolution, or in what way does he propose to proceed?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWFailing general agreement, which hon. Members below the Gangway have told me they cannot give, there is no alternative except to move a Resolution; but what the Government propose to do is to move a Resolution precisely in accordance with the decision of the Committee.
§ Major O'NEILLWhen is it proposed to take the Committee stage?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI cannot name the time for that, but we propose, if the House agrees, to set up this Committee at once.
§ Sir J. BUTCHERCannot the right hon. Gentleman give more than twenty days for the whole of the Committee stage, the Report stage and the Third Reading stage?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWTwenty days is a long time.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSMay I ask whether my right hon. Friend can include in the Committee the representatives of the Unionist Reconstruction Committee, a very large body of its own supporters, who take strong views on this question, and who would like to have something to say as to the allocation?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI am sure it is the general desire that it should be a representative body of the whole House, as far as possible.
§ Lord R. CECILIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are certain Members in this House who think that any discussion in this House under the guillotine is very inferior to a discussion in Committee upstairs, and he must not assume there will be no opposition to this proposal?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI am not in the habit of assuming there will be no opposition to anything. My impression from the discussion on the Second Reading of the Home Rule Bill was that the House as a whole was most strongly in favour of taking the Committee stage in the House, and we are trying to meet the wishes of the House.
§ Mr. T. P. O'CONNORI can only say again that we can take no share in the responsibility.