§ Mr. AttleeHas the Prime Minister any statement to make with regard to the Family Allowances Bill, and will he also state the Business for next week?
§ The Prime MinisterI will take the Business first. The Business for next week will be as follows:
Monday, 11th June—Supply (7th Allotted Day)—Committee. The Ministry of Education Estimate will be considered. At 8.15 p.m. the Committee stage of all outstanding Supply Votes will be put from the Chair. Report stage of the Supplementary Vote of Credit. Second Reading of the Postponement of Polling Day Bill, and of the Treason Bill [Lords]. Afterwards we hope, by general agreement, to take the concluding stages of the Family Allowances Bill.
As the House knows, discussions have been taking place to see if agreement could be reached on the outstanding points on the Family Allowances Bill. I am glad to say that I understand that in view of the general desire in all quarters that the Bill should be passed before the Dissolution, Members would be willing to pass the Bill in the form in which the Government are now proposing to submit it to the House. New Clauses, will appear on the Order Paper to-morrow and it is proposed to take the remaining stages of the Bill on Monday. It will be appreciated that this can be done only if the Bill, with the new Clauses, is assented to without further Amendment.
The Business for the remainder of the week will be:
Tuesday, 12th June—Supply (8th Allotted Day)—Report. A Debate will take place on the health of the nation. At 8.15p.m. the Report stage of all outstanding Supply Votes will be put from the Chair. Committee and remaining stages of the Postponement of Polling Day Bill and of the Treason Bill [Lords].
Wednesday, 13th June—Second Reading of the Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill.
Thursday, 14th June—Committee and Third Reading of the Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill.
On Friday, 15th June, we shall consider any outstanding Business and afterwards Parliament will be prorogued. During the 1071 week we shall take the Motion to approve the Electoral Registration (No. 2) Regulations and any outstanding Business.
§ Mr. AttleeWe propose to raise on the Second Reading of the Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill on Wednesday the subject of trade aspects.
§ Sir G. ManderDo I understand from what the Prime Minister said that family allowances, under the new proposals, are not to be paid to men in the Services?
§ The Prime MinisterAgreement has been reached about that. [Interruption.] If there is no agreement, there will be no Bill.
§ Mr. A. BevanThat is the democracy that the right hon. Gentleman is giving to the House of Commons.
§ The Prime MinisterDemocracy implies elections at certain intervals, and elections take a certain amount of time. I do not see how democracy would be served by throwing the whole country into confusion by putting off the date of the election. The hon. Gentleman's views on democracy, I hope, will be greatly improved in the next few weeks.
§ Mr. TurtonWhat are the Government's intentions with regard to the Purchase Tax (Suspension of Registration Limit) Order which, if passed, will cause great inconvenience to many small businesses?
§ The Prime MinisterThe Chancellor of the Exchequer informs me that he thinks the criticism of this Order was based very largely on a misconception of what its practical effect would be. I do not think, however, in view of the present state of public business, that it would be possible to find time to deal adequately with the matter before the coming Dissolution.
§ Mr. TinkerHas the Prime Minister considered the promise given to me by the Leader of the House some time ago that we would be allowed to discuss war gratuities? There is a Motion on the Order Paper about war gratuities, and I was expecting to have some opportunity of discussing the subject.
§ The Prime MinisterThere is no time for more than I have mentioned. I am not aware at the moment whether the Consolidated Fund Bill would enable it to be raised; I have not had an oppor- 1072 tunity of discussing it with the authorities; but we can add no new topics.
§ The Prime MinisterMore about democracy?
§ Mr. BevanPerhaps the right hon. Gentleman will restrain himself for a moment. I suggest that if he does not restrain himself here, the electorate will restrain him in a few weeks' time. Is it not a fact that the Government are now telling the House that the only condition for the Family Allowances Bill being passed before the Election is that ex-Servicemen, unemployed men and widows shall not have the family allowance?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Member had better see the Amendments on the Paper.
§ Earl WintertonWould my right hon. Friend at least give sympathetic consideration to any request which might reach him supported by both sides of the House, that there should be given some opportunity to discuss India on the statement which is to be made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State?
§ The Prime MinisterWe have now reverted to the point where we have an official Opposition and they state officially the subjects for which they wish priority on those various general occasions like the Consolidated Fund Bill. We have just heard from the Leader of the Opposition that they wish to discuss trade aspects. It would be entirely in accordance with custom that we should defer to his desire.
§ Mr. AttleeWith regard to the statement of the Secretary of State on Wednesday, I would point out that there is nothing down on the Consolidated Fund Bill for Thursday. I do not know whether it would be in Order to discuss the Secretary of State's statement on that day.
§ The Prime MinisterIt can be a matter for discussion through the usual channels, whether Wednesday or Thursday is the more convenient for the statement of the Secretary of State for India.
§ Mr. ThorneCan my right hon. Friend say what time the Dissolution on Friday will be so that I can be present and shake hands with some of my old friends?
§ The Prime MinisterWe are the servants of the House, and the House is master of the length of Business on this occasion. I am sure that a great many hon. Members would like to remain behind to take part in the agreeable ceremony my right hon. Friend has mentioned.
§ Mr. ThorneMay I thank the Prime Minister for the honour that has been conferred upon me?
§ Mr. BuchananWith regard to to-day's Business and the discussion on housing, I want to ask if some representative from the Scottish Office will be present and make a statement about housing in Scotland?
§ The Prime MinisterA Ministerial representative of Scotland will be present, but whether he will require to make a special intervention in the Debate must depend on its course.
§ Mr. BuchananMay I press the right hon. Gentleman further because he is aware that there is no Scottish Member from the Department on the Front Bench interested in housing? He knows how serious the situation in Scotland is with regard to housing and that we cannot afford to neglect it. May I press him to see that we have some Minister responsible and that some reply will be given to-day by a Scottish Minister?
§ The Prime MinisterThe Scottish Votes are down in the compartment of Business which is to be discussed to-day. We have not only one, but two Scottish Ministers here, and if matters are raised which are not sufficiently dealt with in the speeches of the other Ministers, I have no doubt that they will come forward and say what is proper. We must not, however, have all the speeches from the Government Front Bench.
§ Mr. SorensenIn view of the statement on India which is to be made on Wednesday, why did not the Government consider it was necessary that time should be given to discuss it before the House rises?
§ The Prime MinisterI have tried to explain that time is limited, and that the disposition of the time, in the first instance, is always by custom regulated by the wishes of the official Opposition, which we are now delighted to see before us.
§ Mr. StokesFor the convenience of those Members who are interested, can the Prime Minister give us any information with regard to the promised demonstration of tanks, and the time and place of it?
§ The Prime MinisterIt has been arranged, but I have not carried the date in my head. I thought it ought to be arranged before the Election so that the hon. Gentleman could ease his mind on the subject. If it were done after the Election it would be possible to show them moving and firing, and that would be a much more extensive and interesting show; but I thought that, as the hon. Gentleman was so anxious to see it, it should be hurried on. I think it is early next week.
§ Commander King-HallHave the Government taken note of the Motion standing on the Order Paper in the name of the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. I. Thomas) and myself, relative to the need of interchanging information between ourselves and our Russian Allies, and whether the Government are going to do anything about it?
§ [That in the opinion of this House it is desirable that a large-scale exchange of students between Russian and British universities should take place at an early opportunity in order that the Anglo-Soviet Alliance shall be fortified by general contact between the young peoples of the two countries, and this House urges His Majesty's Government to initiate appropriate negotiations forthwith.]
§ The Prime MinisterThe Motion is about the exchange of students between the two countries. I certainly think that it is very desirable in view of our 20 years' agreement with Soviet Russia. The sooner we get as many English people as possible learning to speak Russian, and vice versa, the better. When I mentioned this matter in Moscow in October last, Premier Stalin responded to it with great enthusiasm, and I understand that he has given orders that it is to be facilitated. We welcome that in the highest possible degree. I do not think there is any need to initiate any further negotiations as the matter is fully before both Governments.