THE EARL OF WICKLOWsaid, that, on the occasion of the discussion which took place in their Lordships' House last week, a question was raised as to whether noble Lords were at liberty to leave the House before proxies had been called and the division was over. It was stated that one of the Standing Orders provided that the doors should be locked during a division, but he did not find any regulation of that kind in the Standing Orders, and he had never known an instance in which a Peer, who had no proxy, had been prevented from leaving the House after giving his vote. He considered the system of proxies highly absurd and objectionable, for a most important measure might be carried or defeated by the votes of Peers who had not attended the House for months; and, for his own part, as he never held proxies, he wished to have the option of leaving the House as soon as he had given his vote upon a division. He wished to know whether any Standing Order was in existence which deprived Peers of the right of leaving the House after a division had taken place, and before proxies had been called?
§ LORD REDESDALEreplied, that one of the Standing Orders of the House provided that after a Question is put, and the House hath voted thereupon, no Peer is to depart out of his place, except upon a division of the House, until the House shall have entered upon some other business; and it was clear, if that Standing Order was observed, that the doors of the House ought to be kept closed until the divisions were entirely completed. It was only of late years that the practice of permitting Peers to leave the House before a division was over had grown up. He believed that a strict adherence to the Standing Order would tend greatly to preserve the regularity of their Lordships' proceedings.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, the practice of the House had been that no Peer should leave his place until a division closed; and, as it appeared to be the general opinion of the House that the old practice should be reverted to, it would be necessary for the noble Lord (Lord Redesdale) to take some steps to prevent it, if he thought it improper. If, however, the 865 Standing Order were not enforced, and Peers were allowed to leave their places before a division closed, there would be no possible means of going over the division again, in case the tellers disagreed as to the numbers.
THE EARL OF WICKLOWsaid, they were about to reintroduce a system that had certainly not been in practice for the last thirty-five years, without having previously taken the sense of the House upon it in a regular manner.