§ The Lord Privy Seal (Mr. Harry Crookshank)Unless we sit unduly late on the Finance Bill tonight, we desire to take the draft Coastal Flooding (Acreage Payments) Scheme, 1953, and the (Compensation for Emergency Work) Order, 1953, which, as the House is aware, are of some urgency. These Orders arise out of flood damage.
§ Mr. Edward EvansDoes the Leader of the House think it is fair to Members who are interested in this matter that these Regulations were made available to us only in the last few days? We have had no opportunity of discussing them.
§ Mr. CrookshankI am sorry about that. The Regulations were published last week, and I did mention them on Thursday in the hope of taking them as soon as possible in order that steps could be taken to get on with the payments, which are urgent.
§ Mr. EvansIn the ordinary way we would have discussed them yesterday and got our colleagues together to look through them, but there was no opportunity of doing so. They are sprung upon us tonight.
§ Mr. CrookshankI am very sorry about that. One is working under this need for urgency in this particular case. If hon. Gentlemen have not been able to meet in order to discuss the matter among themselves, I am very sorry. We shall be discussing the Finance Bill in the early part of the afternoon, so perhaps they can find an opportunity then.