§ The Chairman of Ways and Means (Sir Dennis Herbert)Mr. Speaker, in regard to Private Business usually taken immediately after Prayers, may I ask whether you have considered the Procedure in putting to the House Promoters' Amendments on Consideration and Third Reading of Private Bills and Lords Amendments to Private Bills, and whether you propose to adopt any different method in putting the question of such Amendments to the House?
Mr. SpeakerYes, I have given this matter consideration, and I propose, with the leave of the House, to make some alterations in the Procedure. As my statement on that subject is rather long I propose, for the convenience of the House, to make it after Questions instead of now.
§ Later—
§ Mr. SpeakerWith regard to the alteration in Procedure, I desire to make this statement to the House.
I propose in future when the Order Paper contains notice of (1) Amendments on Consideration (2) Amendments on Third Reading or (3) Lords Amendments, to Private Bills, to put such Amendments to the House in the single Question, "That these Amendments be made," or, in the case of Lords Amendments," That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendments." To preserve the rights of Members when the Order Paper contains notice that such Amendments will be taken (the Amendments not being set out on the Order Paper) an asterisk will refer to a footnote stating:
A copy of these Amendments can be seen in the Committee and Private Bill Office.Then when the Title of the Bill is read out from the Table by the Clerk, the Chair 316 man of Ways and Means, on rising to move, will make a statement to the House such as may be appropriate to the circumstances, as, for example, that they are only of a drafting nature, or that they appear to be unobjectionable, and I shall then put the single Question, "That the Amendments be made," or, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendments."It will remain, as is at present the case, the duty of the Chairman of Ways and Means to have any of these Amendments printed on the Order Paper if, for special reason, he considers the attention of the House should be drawn specially to such Amendments; in the past it has very seldom been necessary to print such Amendments on the Order Paper, and it is not anticipated that it will often be the case in the future. Hon. Members should understand that this only applies to Amendments of which notice has been given by the Agents for the Bill, and does not apply to Amendments proposed by hon. Members, of which hon. Members must give notice on the Order Paper as hitherto.