§ Mr. MacLARENOwing to a recent decision of the Local Legislation Committee, it was deemed advisable that the Stoke-on-Trent Corporation should, if they wished to secure the passage of most of their Bill, delete those Clauses relative to the establishment of a municipal bank. As this is a matter of concern to many municipal authorities, I wish to ask your advice, Mr. Speaker, as to whether municipalities are precluded from seeking such powers, and, if so, upon what grounds.
§ Mr. SPEAKERNo, certainly not. Municipalities are not precluded from seeking such powers. As to what happens to an individual application, that is another matter for which I have no responsibility. That is a matter for the Committee upstairs.
§ Mr. MacLARENMay I intimate to you, Sir, that as regards the particular Bill to which I refer—and I understand a similar fate met the Sheffield Corporation Bill—the Local Legislation Committee upstairs practically advised the authorities concerned that it would be prejudicial to the whole body of the Bill if they attempted even to discuss the virtues or otherwise of the proposition involved in the municipal bank Clauses. Some of us are anxious to know if a corporation Bill would be prejudiced by a free discusion before the Local Legislation Committee of the details of such a proposal.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThis is a Committee appointed by the House, and, personally, 1222 I have no right to express an opinion on their proceedings in any way.
§ Mr. MAXTONOn your ruling, Sir, is it the case that you have no right to interfere with the operations of any Committee, even when it is acting improperly, within the Standing Orders of this House?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI always hesitate to give a ruling in, vacuo. In this case, it is clear to me that the Committee was quite within its rights according to the Rules of the House, and that I have no right to express an opinion on the question at all.
§ Mr. MacLARENMay I suggest that when we were anxious to press these Clauses of this Measure we were advised by the Committee upstairs that if it came down to the House you, yourself, Sir, would take exception to these Clauses in the Bill.
§ Mr. SPEAKERPeople may anticipate, hypothetically, what I am going to do in certain circumstances, but they are proceeding on their own opinion—certainly not on mine.