HC Deb 26 June 1958 vol 590 cc608-10
Mr. Gaitskell

May I ask the Leader of the House whether he will state the business for next week?

The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Lord Privy Seal (Mr. R. A. Butler)

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

MONDAY, 30TH JUNE—Supply [18th Allotted Day]: Committee. Debate on the State of the Cotton Industry.

TUESDAY, 1ST JULY—Committee stage of the Finance Bill.

WEDNESDAY, 2ND JULY—Conclusion of the Committee stage of the Finance Bill.

THURSDAY, 3RD JULY—Second Reading of the Tribunals and Inquiries Bill [Lords].

Committee stage of the necessary Money Resolution.

Consideration of the Lords Amendments to the Maintenance Orders Bill.

FRIDAY, 4TH JULY—Second Reading of the Water Bill [Lords].

Committee stage of the necessary Money Resolution.

Report and Third Reading of the Public Records Bill [Lords].

Second Reading of the six consolidation Bills which have been received from another place.

Mr. Grey

May I ask the Leader of the House whether he has taken note of the fact that many more names, from both sides of the House, have been added to the Motion on opencast mining?

[That this House bearing in mind the likelihood that some collieries may be closed, either because of exhaustion of seams or high stocks of coal, that redundancy will result, and that this process will create a considerable recruiting problem when a policy of national expansion is resumed, calls upon Her Majesty's Government to issue a direction to the National Coal Board to reduce the output of opencast coal until the demand for coal supplies increases to the point when additional supplies of opencast coal are required.]

In view of this added support, does he not think that a day could be given for a debate on the matter?

Mr. Butler

It is a question of whether there is time. There is no time in the immediate future unless the Opposition were to choose a Supply Day for it.

Mr. Grimond

May I ask the Leader of the House whether it is his intention to make a statement about the end of the bus strike, and, in particular, whether the Government are sending directions to the London Transport Board not to raise fares?

Mr. Butler

I have learned from experience that it is wiser not to make statements of policy in answer to a business question, so I will discuss this with my right hon. Friends who are involved.

Mr. J. Hynd

As the right hon. Gentleman will have noted that America has now received orders for atomic energy stations in the European Community, is it not time that we had a debate on the British attitude towards Euratom?

Mr. Butler

We will take that into consideration, together with other important issues.

Mr. Emrys Hughes

Is the Leader of the House aware that the Prime Minister has now definitely turned down the request which came from Scotland for a special Burns stamp to mark the bicentenary of Burns? As this was a non-party matter—there was a non-party deputation—will he give us an hour of Government time so that we can express our indignation at the action of the Government?

Mr. Butler

No, Sir. I think it unlikely that Government time will be given for a discussion of this matter, the decision on which followed precedent.