HC Deb 07 June 1956 vol 553 cc1279-83
Mr. Gaitskell

May I ask the Lord Privy Seal whether he will state the business for next week?

The Lord Privy Seal (Mr. R. A. Butler)

Yes, Sir. The business for next week will be as follows:

MONDAY, 11TH JUNE and TUESDAY 12TH JUNE—Committee stage of the Finance (No. 2) Bill

WEDNESDAY, 13TH JUNE and THURSDAY, 14TH JUNE—Report and Third Reading of the Restrictive Trade Practices Bill

FRIDAY, 15TH JUNE—Consideration of Private Members Bills

Mr. Gaitskell

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether the Government will find time for an early debate on technical education? Is is long overdue.

Mr. Butler

I have said previously that I feel sure that this subject is so near to the hearts of the right hon. and hon. Gentlemen opposite that they will find time on a Supply day for such a debate.

Mr. Gaitskell

While not necessarily conceding that point, may we have an assurance from the right hon. Gentleman that we shall not have another week exclusively devoted to the Committee and Report stages of Bills, and that there will be at least one Supply day in it?

Mr. Butler

We certainly like to get through the Supply days and to allot them as fairly as we can; but it is, I think, important to make progress with the Finance Bill and to conclude the Restrictive Trade Practices Bill. Then the right hon. Gentleman's desire for a Supply day will be met.

Mr. H. Wilson

Has the Lord Privy Seal noticed that this side of the House, at any rate, has been extremely co-operative on the Finance Bill and that any delays he may find in that respect come from his own supporters, or his own critics, at any rate, who have put down far more Amendments to the Bill than we on this side have? Will he, in his anxiety to space out the time of the House fairly, ensure that there will be adequate time for the consideration of new Clauses, which we had no opportunity whatsoever of debating in the two previous Finance Bills?

Mr. Butler

I have already apprehended that it is the desire of right hon. and hon. Gentlemen opposite that there should be time on this occasion, in view of last year's experience, to discuss new Clauses. We are seized of that point and we propose to afford opportunities for such discussion. My hon. Friends have a sincere interest in certain aspects of this Bill, and as we remain a free country, and we are a free House of Commons, I see no reason why they should not have as much right to put down Amendments as right hon. and hon. Gentlemen opposite.

Mr. Ellis Smith

May I ask the Leader of the House whether he is aware that there is great support on both sides of the House for the proposal to appoint a Business Select Committee? Has he now had an opportunity of considering that matter?

[This Houses urges Her Majesty's Government to move for a Select Committee which shall consider and report on the increasing advantage taken by Privy Councillors on the precedence afforded to them in the House in the light of the statement made by Mr. Speaker on the 25th April, 1956,regarding the practice of the House; and shall also consider the voting of credit and the need for a detailed examination of Departmental expenditure and any other suggestions which would assist the House and facilitate business.]

Mr. Butler

I have the hon. Gentleman's Motion, signed by a great many hon. Members, before me. I think we shall have some difficulty in conceding the point about Privy Councillors which the hon. Gentleman makes, because that is more a matter for the convention of the House and the ordinary procedure we adopt, rather than for a Select Committee. But I undertake to the hon. Gentleman and his hon. Friends that we shall consider the Motion which is on the Order Paper.

Mr. Ellis Smith

While thanking the Leader of the House for the sympathetic answer he has given, may I ask whether he will be good enough to give some advice to those of us who strongly support the proposal to deal with Privy Councillors? We have had further evidence today to indicate the correctness of this suggestion. Will the right hon. Gentleman now be good enough to advise not myself, but those of us who desire to bring about a satisfactory solution of this question, what is the next step to take?

Mr. Butler

Perhaps the hon. Member would engage in mortal combat his right hon. Friend who sits immediately in front of him.

Mr. Shinwell

May I direct your attention, Mr. Speaker, to the inescapable fact that my hon. Friend's reference to examples which have occurred today is confined to what happened on the Opposition Front Bench, and that I have been strictly within the constitution and tradition of the House and have not asked any supplementary questions except on Questions I placed on the Order Paper? May I ask you, Mr. Speaker, whether Privy Councillors can be protected against these attacks by back bench Members?

Mr. Speaker

I shall do my best to protect the right hon. Gentleman if I feel that he stands in need of my protection.

Mr. Blackburn

Can the Lord Privy Seal say whether it is the Government's intention to find time for a debate on the White Paper on the Singapore Constitutional Conference?

Mr. Butler

I must discuss that with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Mr. D. Jones

Has the right hon. Gentleman seen the Motion on the Order Paper, which is supported by a number of my hon. Friends, dealing with the railways and offices parts of the Gowers Report? As it is now 12 months since the Prime Minister airily talked about those two parts, may we know from the Government of when they propose to introduce the legislation?

[That this House, while welcoming the progress made towards legislation to implement the recommendations of the Gowers Committee on the health, safety and welfare of agricultural workers, regrets that no proposals for further legislation to implement the recommendations of the committee have been made by Her Majesty's Government and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to introduce such measures early in the next Session.]

Mr. Butler

As the hon. Member knows, the Government have already made a start with legislation, following the Gowers Report, in dealing with agriculture. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is not accustomed to using airy language. We are aware of the Motion on the Order Paper, a copy of which I have before me. While I can give no undertaking for this Session, I can say that this is a matter of great interest to Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. S. Silverman

While I welcome the right hon. Gentleman's reaffirmation a few minutes ago of the rights of a free House of Commons, may I ask whether he can give the House any indication of the Government's ideas about time for the Report stage and Third Reading of the Death Penalty (Abolition) Bill?

Mr. Butler

Yes, Sir. We have made quite good progress with the Committee stage, and in due course we shall make good progress with the Report and Third Reading of the Bill. When I am ready, I will give the House an indication of how soon we can take it. It will be as soon as is reasonably possible.

Mr. Harold Davies

In view of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Foreign Press Association about defence and defence cuts, will the House have an opportunity in the near future for a debate on the Government's policy on defence?

Mr. Butler

We had better first see what my right hon. Friend's proposals are for affecting the economies which he has undertaken to carry out.

Mr. H. Wilson

Since the financial year is now well under way, and we understand that there may be important cuts in essential services, quite apart from defence, can the right hon. Gentleman say when he expects the Chancellor of the Exchequer to be able to inform the House of the decisions which the Government are taking to cut £100 million from this year's Estimates, and when we shall be able to debate them?

Mr. Butler

The Supplementary Estimates are usually published before the end of July. Therefore, the right hon. Gentleman can take it that there will be a decision before that date.