HC Deb 15 May 1939 vol 347 cc1013-5

Motion made, and Question proposed, That the Order [10th May] be read and amended as follows: Leave out sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph B, and insert: (1) Committee stage of the Bill. Proceedings on any instructions relating to the Bill, and the Committee stage of the Bill, shall be proceeded with immediately after the conclusion of proceedings on the Military Training Bill on the fifth day allotted to that Bill, and shall, if not previously brought to a conclusion, be brought to a conclusion one hour and 30 minutes after the conclusion of the said proceedings on the last mentioned Bill. Sub-paragraph 5 of paragraph C, line 5, after the second 'the,' insert 'Committee or'."—[The Prime Minister.]

4.0 p.m.

Mr. Batey

I hope that the Prime Minister is going to reconsider this Motion. The Motion means that when the Committee have finished the Military Training Bill to-morrow night about 12 o'clock, for an hour and a-half we shall go on to discuss the Reserve and Auxiliary Forces Bill. That will prolong the sitting until 1.30 in the morning. There could not be a worse time for this House to finish than 1.30 a.m. The majority of Members on this side depend on buses, trains or trams to get to their homes. At 1.30 in the morning all buses, trams and trains are stopped, and Members have to get home as best they can. I fail to see why the Prime Minister should propose this Motion. It fixes an hour and a-half for the Reserve and Auxiliary Forces Bill and that is not enough. But in any case why could not the Prime Minister have arranged that the hour and a-half be taken on Wednesday afternoon, from 1.15 to 2.45 p.m.? We could then have the discussion without sitting up late at night.

I would suggest, as an Amendment to the Motion, that after the word "minutes" we should insert the words "after 1.15 p.m. on Wednesday." Under the Guillotine Motion the House is compelled to sit until midnight instead of the Government asking the House to sit an hour earlier in the afternoon, which we could easily do. We are going on with late sittings when there is no need for them. I think the Government should be prepared to accept my suggested Amendment to the Motion.

4.2 p.m.

Mr. Stephen

I want to say a few words on this Motion. There is one point that has worried me a great deal in connection, with the Guillotine Time-table. I regret that there has been no opportunity presented for discussion of the position of Scotland under the Military Training Bill. I wonder whether the Prime Minister could give us an assurance that there will be an opportunity for discussing whether Scotland should be included in that Bill or not. There is a very widespread view in Scotland that Scotland should not be included, or at least that Scotland should have an opportunity of deciding for itself what is to be its position in the matter. I take the opportunity of this Motion for protesting at the way in which Scotland has been treated, in that it has not been given an opportunity of deciding its position under the Bill.

Mr. Gallacher

I wish to give support to the suggestion made by the hon. Member for Spennymoor (Mr. Batey)—

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member for Spennymoor (Mr. Batey) wishes to move an Amendment to the Motion, but I am not able to accept it because it is inconsistent with the first part of the Motion. The first part of the Motion says that the Committee stage of the Bill shall be proceeded with immediately after the conclusion of the proceedings on the Military Training Bill, and the hon. Member wishes at the end of the Motion to postpone the proceedings until the next day.

4.4 p.m.

Mr. Gallacher

I want to say a word or two in support of the idea which is contained in the remarks of the hon. Member for Spennymoor (Mr. Batey). For myself I do not mind sitting up all night, but: there is no reason why we should not start our business earlier in the day. I consider that if we were given an opportunity to do justice to the Military Training Bill we should start our business in the morning, and if necessary go on until the next morning.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member can make a speech on the original Motion but not on the Amendment, which I have not accepted.

Mr. Gallacher

I got a feeling when the Prime Minister was speaking to-day that there was a possibility of his altering the Time-table, not by giving us an extra hour and a half after midnight but by taking an hour and a half off the Timetable. Instead of cutting down the Timetable and limiting the discussion of the Military Training Bill, the right hon. Gentleman ought to consider utilising Whitsun week for a further discussion of this subject.

Mr. Silverman

Would not the purpose of my hon. Friend the Member for Spennymoor (Mr. Batey) be met if the word "immediately" were deleted from the Motion, and at the end there were added the words that he desires to include?

Mr. Speaker

I have already said that I do not propose to accept the Amendment.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved, That the Order [10th May] be read and amended as follows: Leave out sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph B, and insert,— (1) Committee stage of the Ball. Proceedings on any instructions relating to the Bill, and the Committee stage of the Bill, shall be proceeded with immediately after the conclusion of proceedings on the Military Training Bill on the fifth day allotted to that Bill, and shall, if not previously brought to a conclusion, be brought to a conclusion one hour and thirty minutes after the conclusion of the said proceedings on the last mentioned Bill. Sub-paragraph 5 of paragraph C, line 5, after the second 'the,' insert 'Committee or'.