HC Deb 03 July 1941 vol 372 cc1504-7
Mr. Lees-Smith

May I ask the Lord Privy Seal what is the future Business of the House?

Mr. Attlee

The Business will be as follows:

First Sitting Day—Second Reading of the Pharmacy and Medicines Bill and of the Isle of Man (Customs) Bill; Report and Third Reading of the Landlord and Tenant (War Damage) Bill; Committee and remaining stages of the Repair of War Damage Bill and of the Local Government Bill, and, if there is time, Motions to approve the Land Drainage Grants Order and the Central Electricity Board Order.

Second and third Sitting Days—Supply (13th and 14th Allotted Days); Committee. Debate on Production. The Votes for the Ministries of Supply and Aircraft Production will be put down.

The Business on the first Sitting Day looks rather formidable, but as a matter of fact I think a good deal of it will be found to be non-contentious. In an endeavour to make what progress we can, the Government will put down a Motion to suspend the Rule, but it is not intended to ask the House to sit late.

Mr. Lees-Smith

With regard to the second and third Sitting Days, can the Lord Privy Seal say whether it is likely that the Chairman of Ways and Means will put down some Private Business for one of these days?

Mr. Attlee

The Chairman of Ways and Means intimated yesterday that he proposed to put down the Glen Affric Electricity Bill for the third Sitting Day.

Mr. Loftus

Will the two days' Debate on production be limited, or will there be a wide range of discussion on both days with special subjects for each day?

Mr. Attlee

We have put down two Votes—the Ministry of Supply and the Ministry of Aircraft Production—which I think will give quite enough scope. If one goes beyond that, the Debate tends to get rather ragged instead of being concentrated on the points which it is desired to raise.

Mr. Lipson

Will the right hon. Gentleman reconsider the question of interrupting an important Debate on produc- tion by introducing a contentious Bill like the Glen Affric Bill? Will he see that it is brought forward on another day?

Mr. Attlee

The hon. Gentleman should realise that it is not a matter for the Government. It is a matter for the Chairman of Ways and Means.

Mr. Shinwell

When my right hon. Friend says that the Debate on production should not range too widely, is it intended to restrict it to the Ministry of Supply and the Ministry of Aircraft Production? Is there to be no general Debate on man-power, labour organisation or shipbuilding? Is that the intention, because, if so, the House should be fully aware of it?

Mr. Attlee

I think that it will be more convenient for the House to have two specific Votes put down. Of course, it would be possible if the House wished to take these Motions formally and to have a Debate on the Adjournment, but on the whole I think it will suit the House better to confine the Debate to these two specific Votes.

Mr. Lipson

Does the answer which the right hon. Gentleman has just given mean that the Government have no power to postpone consideration of the Grampian Electricity Supply Bill?

Mr. Attlee

That is a matter which is completely in the hands of the Chairman of Ways and Means.

Mr. Stephen

Will the Debate on the Bill be in secret?

Mr. Attlee

I have not heard of any request that it should be in secret.

Mr. McGovern

As the Secretary of State for Scotland recommended that the evidence should be taken in secret, as it might give information to the enemy, would it not be just as dangerous for that information to be reviewed in a public Sitting of the House? Surely, the same arguments apply?

Earl Winterton

May I put a question to my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal, to which I do not ask him to give an immediate reply, but which I think raises rather an important question of procedure? I address the question to him in his capacity as Chairman of the Committee of Privileges, of which I am a Member. Surely it will be a most inconvenient course to have a Debate in the House on the Grampian Electricity Supply Bill before the Committee of Privileges has considered an important point referred to it by the House on the subject of procedure. Would it not be more convenient for the Committee to dispose of that point first? Will my right hon. Friend consider making representations to the Chairman of Ways and Means in that sense?

Mr. Attlee

Certainly, I will consider that point. I should not have thought that it would necessarily affect the question before the House in discussing the Grampian Electricity Supply Bill, as the point of Privilege does not really touch the substance of the Bill.

Earl Winterton

The point of Privilege was a charge made against the Committee.

Mr. Stokes

Did I understand the Lord Privy Seal to say that in the Debate on production a discussion on man-power would not be admissible? There is a wide demand that there should be a discussion on man-power.

Mr. Attlee

My reply was that I thought it would be a better Debate if it did not range over every kind of subject, but confined itself to the two subjects to which I have referred. It would always be possible to have a Debate on manpower.

Mr. Rhys Davies

In view of the urgency of the matter, can my right hon. Friend say when it is intended to introduce the National Health Insurance Benefits Bill?

Mr. Attlee

I am afraid I cannot give a date, but very soon.

Mr. Mander

With regard to the Debate on production, my right hon. Friend suggested that it would be out of Order to discuss the use of man-power in Ministry of Supply and aircraft factories. Surely, we shall be bound to do that, and will not the Ministry of Labour be represented on the Front Bench?

Mr. Attlee

What will be in Order in the Debate is not a matter for me, but for the Chair. The Government will always endeavour to have present what Ministers the House desires.

Mr. Lindsay

Will my right hon. Friend reconsider his decision and have the Debate on the Adjournment, so that we shall be able to bring in the whole question of man-power?

Mr. Attlee

That is a matter on which we should desire to consult the wishes of the House. I rather gathered from the general attitude that the majority takes the other view.