HC Deb 18 February 1977 vol 926 cc891-5
The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Michael Foot)

With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a short Business Statement. The business announced for Monday and Tuesday has been rearranged as follows:

MONDAY 21ST FEBRUARY—Remaining stages of the Covent Garden Market (Financial Provisions) Bill.

Motion on the EEC documents on textiles.

TUESDAY 22ND FEBRUARY—Until 10 o'clock, consideration of a timetable motion on the Scotland and Wales Bill.

Afterwards, a debate, on a motion for the Adjournment, on Mr. Agee and Mr. Hosenball.

In addition to the business already announced for Wednesday, there will be a further Northern Ireland order on consumer protection and advice.

Mr. Pym

I thank the Leader of the House for making that adjustment and for listening to the representations that were made. I am sure that it is more for the convenience of the House, including the postponement of the Coal Industry Bill, which does not now appear in next week's business.

I am bound to say that I regret that the full details of the timetable proposals are not on the Order Paper. The details are left to the Business Committee to work out. I think that it will have an extremely difficult task. As I indicated yesterday, I should have preferred the whole House to see what the Government propose. If the Leader of the House could have second thoughts on that, it might be helpful to the House. We regret that one feature but, naturally, we appreciate the rearrangement that the right hon. Gentleman has announced.

Mr. Foot

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his observations. I doubt whether we shall have second thoughts about the rearrangement and the proposals. I think that the Business Committee will be able to deal with the matter. I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his remarks.

Mr. James Lamond

On Monday, will there be an extension to midnight of the debate on textiles, in view of the rearrangement?

Mr. Foot

I think we had better see how we get on. I am fully aware that many of my hon. Friends wish to take part in the debate. We think that the debate on the remaining stages of the Covent Garden Market (Financial Provisions) Bill should be brief. I hope that, in effect, it will be a full day if we finish at 10 o'clock.

Mr. David Steele

I thank the Leader of the House for accepting the view that there should be a full day's debate on the timetable motion. Will he ensure that on Tuesday the Vote Office will have adequate copies of Hansard for 2nd May 1972, so that all Members may be fully acquainted with his views on the enormity of imposing the guillotine on constitutional measures?

Mr. Foot

I am happy to ensure that there will be sufficient copies. I think that there will be plenty of copies available if there are any Members who have not read that notable contribution to our discussions. I am sure it will be noted that on that occasion the Liberal Party voted unanimously in favour of the guillotine.

Mr. Ioan Evans

Does my right hon. Friend realise that there will be widespread support for the fact that he is now giving a full day's debate to the timetable motion? It has been said by the Government that the Bill is the most major constitutional proposal that the House has had to consider for hundreds of years, so it is important that we should have proper consideration. Will my right hon. Friend go further and give details of how time is to be allocated to the different clauses? Representations have been made to us in Wales by various trade unions that are concerned about the effect of certain clauses. It would be good to know how much time we can expect in which to debate them.

Mr. Foot

I hope that my hon. Friend will take account of the representations that he receives from trade unions in Wales, especially because the trade union movement as a whole in Wales is strongly in favour of the Bill. I hope that my hon. Friend will take that into account. Representations from all quarters will be considered by the Business Committee. They will be considered in a way that I think will be helpful to the debates generally.

Mr. Wigley

We, too, welcome the extension of the debate on the guillotine. I think it will be fairer to everyone and will ensure that everyone who has an interest is able to participate. Will the Leader of the House gave an indication of the consultations that he has had and, more important, will have, especially with minority parties, about the implementation of the provisions of the guillotine, with a view to making sure that they have an opportunity to debate the matters that are of concern to them? Secondly, will the right hon. Gentleman give an indication of when the Coal Industry Bill is likely to come forward?

Mr. Foot

We shall have to take the Coal Industry Bill at a fairly early stage, but I cannot give the exact date yet.

On the first matter, of course when the Business Committee is established the Government will be prepared to accept representations from all quarters in the House as to how we should arrange the business. We had consultations with all the parties indicating how we could have approached the Bill generally in the early stages of the Bill. We are prepared to have consultations in a similar way to see how best the Business Committee can operate.

Mr. Atkinson

Does my right hon. Friend accept that his decision to allow a debate on the Agee and Hosenball deportations will be widely welcomed throughout the Labour movement? Is he aware that the Government are to be congratulated on creating this precedent? May we have an assurance now, however, that if there is a vote, as many of us hope there will be, that vote will overrule any decision by the Home Secretary to deport? Will my right hon. Friend recognise that as a result of this precedent all deportations now taking place could also be subject to votes in the House?

Mr. Foot

I am grateful for my hon. Friend's welcome to the debate. The Government are providing that there will be a debate on the Adjournment. It is not a debate in the form in which my hon. Friend is suggesting. However, it is the best way in which we can meet the representations that were made that there should be a discussion in the House in which the Home Secretary can put his view. I have no doubt that my right hon. Friend will convince the House.

Mr. Welsh

In order to facilitate cooperation and consultation in these matters, will the right hon. Gentleman consider allowing minority party representation on the Business Committee?

Mr. Foot

There are problems about the size of the Business Committee and about how these matters can be arranged. However, I can assure hon. Members in all parts of the House that, whatever different views may be taken about the Bill, we shall see that hon. Members' representations are fully taken into account by the Business Committee in arranging the timetable.

Mr. George Cunningham

On the same point, will my right hon. Friend recognise that on this issue there are differences of view within almost all the parties and that, therefore, there is a case for having the different viewpoints within the parties, and not only the parties as such, represented on the Business Committee?

Mr. Foot

Of course, there are difficulties in arranging a Business Committee that represents every different view in every party. For instance, I gather that the Liberal Party has certain differences of view on the subject. It would be very difficult to take account of that. The Government representatives on the Business Committee will take into account the desires of my hon. Friends who may be critical of parts of the Bill in order that their criticisms are borne in mind. There are possibilities for discussions on these matters. I think that should be one of the matters that must prevail in the arrangement of the timetable. I hope that that will also be taken into account by my hon. Friends when they come to vote on the establishment of the Business Committee itself.

Back to