BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 23 July 1935)

§ Mr. LANSBURY
May I ask the Prime Minister how far the Government propose to go to-night; and also what business it is intended to take on Friday?

§ The PRIME MINISTER
With regard to to-night, we hope to get the Third Reading of the Cattle Industry Bill. On Friday we propose to take the Second Reading of the Cotton Spinning Industry Bill and the Committee stage of the necessary Money Resolution.

§ Mr. LANSBURY
It is not often that we have to criticise very strongly the arrangements for the Business of the House, but on this occasion I must enter a very emphatic protest against putting down the Cotton Spinning Industry Bill at this stage. On many occasions, when we have been requested, we have done our best, by putting our Motions down on Supply days, to meet what we thought was the convenience of the House and the general desire to rise on 2nd August. But here within seven days of the end of this part of the Session we find this Bill being put down, although there is a considerable amount of other business to be transacted. There is the Report and Third Reading of the Restriction on Ribbon Development Bill; the 1658 Lords Amendments to the Housing Bill; the Lords Amendments to the India Bill; two days on the Appropriation Bill, and the Motion for the Adjournment. It is no use suggesting that there is not considerable and fundamental opposition to this Cotton Industry Bill as it now stands. At this period in the Session the Government ought not to bring forward a highly controversial Bill on a Friday afternoon especially as we know that we are coming back again and the Second Reading could be fixed for a stated day after the Adjournment. I ask the right hon. Gentleman and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury to reconsider this matter. I would like also to say that, while we do not wish to monopolise the two days set apart for the Appropriation Bill, we are very anxious, on one day, to have a discussion on questions connected with foreign policy. We do not want to put down the ordinary Motion of Censure, but we do want to discuss foreign policy and international economic policy before the House adjourns. The putting down of this Bill is likely to squeeze us into the position of having either to meet on a Saturday or to forgo discussion on a subject which I think the House and the country will regard as worthy of discussion.

§ The PRIME MINISTER
I will tell the right hon. Gentleman and the House, quite frankly, my object in putting this particular business down, and I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will at any rate give consideration to it. I readily recognise the help we have had lately, for the common good of the House, in trying to get up at the beginning of August. The business was arranged for Friday on a subject which unfortunately, to my regret, the Government are not quite ready to bring in. Therefore, this Friday unexpectedly became vacant. The Cotton Spinning Industry Bill is, as the right hon. Gentleman said, controversial, but it is, one way or the other, a Bill of great importance to Lancashire. It has been very warmly supported in certain quarters, and it is now being equally strongly opposed.
The House has had no discussion on matters connected with the Lancashire trade for some time, and I thought it would be a good opportunity—I should not think of asking the House to proceed further than this stage—to get out on a Friday the arguments on both sides so 1659 that people may know where the differences lie. I thought it might well be that if each side, both starting from the point that they are desirous of helping the Lancashire industry, were able to hear the arguments of the other, there would then be the Recess in which these points might be examined in Lancashire, and it might be possible, although this may be contrary to expectations, that a view might crystallise either in favour of or against the Bill. These were the objects which I had in mind when I put the Bill down, and I hoped that a discussion on the cotton trade, especially as it is affected by this Bill, would be a Debate of considerable value.

§ Mr. LANSBURY
I think the House will agree that we have never objected to a Debate of the kind that the right hon. Gentleman has mentioned, but the question at issue here is a Bill, and, if the Government get a Second Reading, those who are opposed to it will be in the position of being able only to try to amend it in Committee. Our real objection, however, is on the question of time. We have looked at the programme that must be got through before the Adjournment, and we do not see how it can be done properly in the time if this Bill is taken on Friday. It may be done by our giving up the right to discuss important matters. I would like to ask the right hon. Gentleman to reconsider the matter and let us discuss the Bill among ourselves during the Recess and be ready then for the Second Reading when the House meets again. In any case, I enter my protest against proceeding with the Bill in these circumstances. We are in the hands of the Government obviously, but I think that in common fairness they ought to meet us in a matter of this kind.

§ Mr. MAXTON
Does the right hon. Gentleman's answer which made a certain appeal to me, mean that only the debate on the Second Reading of the Bill is to be opened on Friday and that there is no intention of proceeding to a Division on the Second Reading?

§ The PRIME MINISTER
The hon. Member misunderstood me. I meant that we should not take any further stage on Friday. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition will be good enough to consult my right hon. 1660 Friend the Patronage Secretary, and we will give further consideration to the points.

§ Mr. CROSSLEY
May I ask the Prime Minister whether his decision that no further stages are to be taken before we adjourn is final? If it is, it will leave Lancashire trade in a difficult position for three months.

§ The PRIME MINISTER
It is impossible, even if the Second Reading were taken on Friday, to make any further progress at this stage of the Session.

§ Mr. CROSSLEY
Is the Prime Minister aware that there are many of us who will willingly sit up in order to pass this Bill?

§ The PRIME MINISTER
I think that that probably is the case.

§ Mr. LANSBURY
I am not willing to sit up, but I am willing to continue the Session. I do not believe in legislation in the small hours of the morning, especially this kind of legislation, and, if Lancashire Members can bring enough pressure to bear on the Governemnt to sit another week, we will sit another week with pleasure.