§ Mr. SMEDLEY CROOKE(by Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister if he has any further statement to make with regard to the future administration of the needs test?
§ The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald)In accordance with a public statement which I made on Monday, the Government propose to introduce and pass through all its stages before the end of the present Session, legislation to deal with certain aspects of the administration of the needs test.
§ Mr. LANSBURYCan the right hon. Gentleman tell us how soon the proposed Bill will be available? May I say that, whether the Bill goes as far as we want it to go or not, we shall certainly do our best to help the Government to get it through?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI should like to reciprocate what has just been said, as I hope, however great the differences between us may be, we may co-operate to make the maximum contribution to this very humane problem. The Bill will be ready as soon as possible before Ottawa is finished.
§ Sir HERBERT SAMUELWill the general nature of these proposals be made known to the House before or at the beginning of the Debate on Tuesday?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe right hon. Gentleman is too sound a constitutionalist to anticipate the contents of a Bill which is to be published.
§ Mr. LAWSONWill the right hon. Gentleman indicate the points upon which the changes will take place? It is rather important, because there will be 482 Some perturbation in the minds of the public assistance committees who will have to administer it unless they know where the changes are going to take place if it is done very quickly.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI can give the public assistance committees the greatest assurance that they need have no perturbation about the changes which will take place.
§ Mr. GEORGE HALLWill the Prime Minister give a promise that there will be no supersession of the public assistance committees until these proposals are known?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI can give no pledge about that. We had better leave that matter as it is. The law has to be carried out.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODIs the Bill going to do away with the means test, and, if not, is it going to do away with the harshness that is operating as far as the working class in general is concerned?
§ The PRIME MINISTERMy hon. Friend knows perfectly well that the Bill will be published with as little delay as possible, certainly before we have finished with Ottawa.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODThat is an evasion. That is no reply.
§ Mr. LANSBURYThe terms of the Bill are apparently not settled yet, and I hope on Tuesday the Government will listen to representations that will be made during the discussion as to what we think. My friends want the whole thing wiped off, but there are modifications of the present arrangement which we shall want to put before you, and we hope that on Tuesday we may assist in drafting the Bill.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODI should like to put my question again—whether the Bill is going to do away with the means test?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member has already had a reply to his question.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODI did not get any reply at all. It was not a reply. It was an evasion. It had nothing to do with the question, and you, Sir, ought to safeguard my interests as a private Member of the House of Commons.
§ Mr. LAWSONMay I put a question on the matter of supersession? As the right hon. Gentleman knows, there have been very grave differences of opinion on the interpretation of the means test. It may be that the points that it is proposed to alter are involved in this matter of supersession.
§ The PRIME MINISTERIt is impossible to give a pledge. If the hon. Member will put down a question to-day, he will have it answered on Monday by the Minister of Labour.