BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE, (Hansard, 25 May 1933)

§ Mr. LANSBURY
May I ask the Lord President of the Council what will be the 1277 business for next week, and at the same time, how far he proposes to go with the Finance Bill to-night?

§ Mr. BALDWIN
I have looked carefully through the Amendments, and I hope it may be possible to get as far as Clause 38 to-night, but in that event I should propose that Clauses 29 and 30 should not be taken, as I understand it would be more convenient to the Opposition if they were not taken to-night. If we get as far, we will move to postpone their consideration. I hope we can get the Metropolitan Police [Money] Resolution. The first two Orders on the Paper, I think, are non-controversial and will not take any time. After that, we will proceed to consider the Finance Bill. With regard to next week,
On Monday, we shall take the Agricultural Marketing Bill, Report and Third Reading, to be continued on Tuesday until half-past seven, when we propose to resume the Committee stage of the Finance Bill.
Wednesday and Thursday: Finance Bill. We hope to conclude the Committee stage on Thursday night.
Friday: Motion for the Whitsuntide Recess, and the House will be asked to reassemble on Tuesday, 13th June.
On any day, if there is time, other Orders will be taken.

§ Mr. LANSBURY
I understand that the Police [Money] Resolution must be taken at the end of the Sitting after Eleven o'clock. We must not be taken as consenting to the proposal. The Government give us the choice of taking it late at night in any case and we prefer to take it to-night, but it means that we either have to sit up very late and discuss it at an hour which we think is quite unseemly or allow it to go simply with a Division. We agree under duress.

§ Mr. BALDWIN
I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that we have no desire in any way to curtail such Debate as he desires. I hope progress may be such as to enable it to come on at a reasonable time. There is no intention of sitting up late to-night.

§ Mr. LANSBURY
I think the right hon. Gentleman will find that we shall not make the Debate to-night long. It will 1278 not be us. There are many of his own supporters who will have a very great deal to say on the subjects that are coming up, and the right hon. Gentleman, with the best intentions, may find us all landed about eleven or half-past to take this Police Resolution.

§ Mr. BALDWIN
I entirely agree with that, and, of course, the discussion which always arises on the Committee stage of the Finance Bill is a matter in the hands of the House. We will do the best we can to make that arrangement, but on the Finance Bill the interests are such that no one can gather that any particular portion of the Bill will come to an end at a particular time.

§ Mr. LANSBURY
The right hon. Gentleman misses the point that this year we have been squeezed for time.

§ Mr. BALDWIN
indicated dissent.

§ Mr. LANSBURY
I think so, anyhow. All this business must be got through in order to release the Chancellor of the Exchequer. We might have had this Vote for the Police taken earlier and had another day, or half-a-day, for the Finance Bill, but I understand—and I appreciate the fact—that the Chancellor of the Exchequer must go to the World Economic Conference. Still I think it is a pity that this matter is put down in this rather rushed and hurry-up sort of way.