BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE (Hansard, 27 February 1947)

§ Mr. Eden
May I ask the acting Leaner of the House to tell us the Business for next week?

§ The Lord Privy Seal (Mr. Arthur Greenwood)
The Business for next week will be as follows:
Monday, 3rd March—Consideration of a Time-table Motion for the Transport and Town and Country Planning Bills—[HON. MEMBERS: Oh."] The terms of the Motion will appear on the Order Paper tomorrow. Further progress will be made with outstanding Supplementary Estimates in Committee and on Report.
Tuesday, 4th March Second Reading of the Summer Time Bill. In view of the urgency of the Bill, it is hoped that the House will agree to take the Committee and remaining stages on the same day. Report and Third Reading of the Polish Resettlement Bill.
Wednesday and Thursday, 5th and 6th March—There will be an opportunity for a Debate on India, which will arise on a Motion inviting the House to approve the policy of His Majesty's Government.
Friday, 7th March—Committee stage of Supplementary Estimates for the Ministry of Food and Board of Trade, and progress with outstanding Votes in Committee and on Report.
During the week, if there is time, it is hoped to obtain the Committee and remaining stages of the Isle of Man Harbours Bill [Lords] and the Naval Forces (Enforcement of Maintenance Liabilities) Bill.

§ Mr. Eden
May I ask the right hon. Gentleman about Monday's Business? He realises, no doubt, that the proposal is a curtailment, hitherto unprecedented, of the rights of hon. Members in all parts of the House. May I ask him therefore for an assurance that, in the event of this Motion being carried, the right hon. Gentleman will ensure that on the Report stage, the House has full and adequate opportunities of discussing these major Measures, for without that assurance we cannot see how this House can even pretend to do its duty?

§ Mr. Greenwood
I must remind the House that this is not unprecedented—[HON. MEMBERS: "Yes, it is."] The Guillotine upstairs is not unprecedented. I have suffered from it myself—[HON. MEMBERS: "On what Bill?"] I cannot remember the Bills, but I imagine that I have been upstairs on Standing Committees as much as any other hon. 2283 Member of this House. I think I am right in saying that before about 1936, when new powers were conferred on the Chairmen of Standing Committees, Guillotine Motions were operated by the party opposite when they sat on this side of the House. I have announced the Business, and that is the Business for next Monday. The Motion will be on the Order Paper, and I am prepared to argue the merits of it on Monday next.

§ Mr. Eden
Will the right hon. Gentleman examine this precedent again, because, with all respect, from what he has said, I think he has misunderstood it, There has never been a Guillotine in Committee, but there has been the right of the Chairman to select Amendments.

§ Mr. Greenwood
What we had on the Standing Committees upstairs was the old "Kangaroo" Clause which in effect—[HON. MEMBERS: "It was voluntary."] I have done my best to come to a voluntary agreement on this occasion and have failed.

§ Mr. James Callaghan
May I ask the Leader of the House whether we are to have an opportunity of debating the policy on defence in the recently published White Paper?

§ Mr. Greenwood
That might perhaps happen, but there have been two discussions, first on the White Paper and, second, on the Bill for establishing a Ministry of Defence, and we are to have at an early stage Debates on the Estimates for the three Fighting Services Therefore we thought that adequate provision had been made.

Mr. Piekthorn
While understanding the urgency of the Summer Time Bill for this year, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he understands that putting permanent powers into it really makes it rather difficult to accept the suggestion that all stages of it can be agreed to in a very short time?

§ Mr. Greenwood
The matter has to be treated as one of urgency and I should have thought that when power is taken through Orders in Council to deal with it subsequently, that is not outside the control of Parliament. As it is intended that the first hour should operate from 16th March, it is quite clear that the Bill must 2284 be on the Statute Book by 15th March and I hope the House will be reasonable enough to give us all stages.

§ Mr. Eden
May I again ask the right hon. Gentleman about Monday's Business? As this is a new procedure inaugurated as a result of the recommendations of the Lord President of the Council, may I ask if the right hon. Gentleman will suspend the Rule on Monday so that the House may have ample opportunity to discuss this matter?

Hon. Members
Answer.

§ Mr. Sydney Silverman
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
I think the right hon. Gentleman might be allowed to reply first.

§ Mr. S. Silverman
On a point of Order, Mr. Speaker. The only reason why I rose at that moment was that it would be more convenient for the Lord Privy Seal to answer the Question I proposed to ask him along with the one he has already been asked.

§ Mr. Speaker
The hon. Gentleman's question can be asked afterwards.

§ Mr. Greenwood
I am quite prepared to discuss through the usual channels any desire there may be to suspend the Rule, and if my right hon. Friend would care to get in touch with me later, we can discuss the matter whether we should suspend the Rule on Monday.

§ Mr. S. Silverman
Would my right hon. Friend bear in mind that it is absolutely inaccurate to refer to these matters as recommendations of the Lord President of the Council? Were they not, in fact, unanimous recommendations of a Select Committee of this House, ultimately accepted by this House?

§ Mr. Greenwood
They were accepted by the House, but this is the first time they have operated.

§ Mr. Callaghan
May I refer to the Government's White Paper on Defence? As my right hon. Friend knows, it sets out our obligations in manpower up to 31st March, 1948. Is he aware that there is considerable concern in the country about the size of those obligations? Can he advise the House how we may have an opportunity of debating the adequacy of the reasons put forward, unless we talk 2285 about the White Paper in which those provisions, for what they are worth, are set out?

§ Mr. Greenwood
I should think my hon. Friend, if he exercises his mind, will find that there are quite a number of opportunities during this Session when he could raise the matter—[An HON. MEMBER: "Which?"] The question of the Ministry of Defence. All aspects of it can be dealt with on the Estimates. We have some Supply days coming. The Ministry of Defence has its own Estimates too, and there may be certain other opportunities. I should have thought, however, that discussions on the Ministry of Defence had up to now been ample, and that there had been little demand for a special discussion on it, and there will be future opportunities.

§ Major Legge-Bourke
Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that it is extremely important that a decision should be reached as quickly as possible on the matter of conscription; and does he not consider that that calls for an early Debate on the Defence White Paper?

§ Mr. Greenwood
I really do not understand a lot of the enthusiasm for this at the moment. I gathered that right hon. and hon. Members opposite were not anxious about such a Debate. I gathered that the subject which was exercising most people's minds was that of manpower, and that was why we arranged to have the two White Papers published fairly soon together, so that they could be considered together. In the Debate on the economic position, there will be ample opportunity, to raise the whole of the manpower issue with regard to the Defence Services.

§ Mr. Henry Usborne
Can the acting Leader of the House tell me what chance there is of being given time to debate the Motion which stands in my name and that of other hon. Members in favour of World Federation?

§ Mr. Greenwood
I am afraid that because of the pressure under which we are working, there will be no hope whatever.

§ Colonel Sir Charles MacAndrew
With regard to Monday's Motion about the time-table for the two Bills upstairs, will there be two separate Motions, or will the two Bills be dealt with in one Motion? I do not understand how it can be done in one Motion.

§ Mr. Greenwood
I think the hon. and gallant Gentleman, who is very expert in these matters, will see, when it is published, that it is one Motion covering both Bills.

§ Mr. Charles Williams
May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if, owing to the extreme urgency of summer time, it would not be much better to take the Summer Time Bill on Monday and then, if we could not quite finish it on Monday, we might be able to do so on Tuesday?

§ Mr. Greenwood
That suggestion does not appeal to me.

§ Lieut.-Colonel Sir Thomas Moore
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is impossible to discuss a question of general policy on the Estimates, first because the Government select which are to be discussed; secondly, the Chairman of Ways and Means would call an hon. Member to Order, if he embarked on a general question of policy?

§ Mr. Eden
May 1 ask the Leader of the House if he can tell us when this Motion for Monday will be available so that hon. Members can study it?

§ Mr. Greenwood
They will certainly nave it on the Order Paper tomorrow morning.