Lords Sitting of 16 February 1877

PARLIAMENT—BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

  OBSERVATIONS. QUESTION.
  EARL GRANVILLE: My Lords, I am quite sure that the thinness of your Lordships' House and the state of the Notice Paper for to-night —there not being one single Notice put down — will afford some justification for the Question which I wish to put to the noble Earl the First Lord of the Treasury. I have no doubt ho is aware that on many former occasions complaints have been made, as to the paucity of legislative business in the House in the early part of the Session. Last Session certainly there was no foundation for such complaints, because several important Bills were introduced in your Lordships' House, and were dealt with by your Lordships in a manner which justified the former complaints. It is a fact, however, that on previous occasions there were such complaints as those to which I have referred,

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  and what I wish to know is, Whether ' any of the Bills promised by Her Majesty's Government will be introduced in this House? I should also like to know whether the Government intend to introduce a Burials Bill, and if so, at what period it is likely to be introduced?
  THE EARL OF BEACONSFIELD: My Lords, I quite agree with the noble Earl that it is desirable that the Business of Parliament should be more equally divided, if it be possible, between the two Houses; but those who have given attention to the subject have all come to the conclusion that it is one of the most difficult arrangements that can be devised. Now, with regard to the present Session, it so happens that most of those Bills which Her Majesty's Government have thought fit to introduce to the consideration of Parliament could not well be introduced in your Lordships' House, in the first instance. Some of those Bills are money Bills: others, upon matters of great importance and interest, have already been submitted to your Lordships' consideration; and it was therefore thought that it was only respectful to the other House of Parliament, when these Bills were introduced again, that they should be submitted to the other House in the first instance. That takes away two classes of measures. Then there are Bills connected with Scotland and also with Ireland, which your Lordships must feel as a general rule would be most conveniently introduced by the Lord Advocate and the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant. That again reduces the number of Bills from which we can select and introduce in your Lordships' House. The noble Earl (Earl Granville), however, adverted to one subject on which legislation has been promised, and which no doubt may be introduced in the first instance in this House—that is the Burials Bill. My noble Friend the Lord President will introduce a Burials Bill very shortly to your Lordships' consideration. It is not in my power to say the exact day at which it will be done; but I trust that next week I shall be able to inform your Lordships on the point. After the Burials Bill the Lord Chancellor will introduce the Bankruptcy Bill. Both of these measures will deserve your Lordships' consideration; and probably by that time also the labours—the suc-
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  sessful labeurs—of the House of Commons will furnish your Lordships with further materials for deliberation.

  TURKEY — THE PAPERS — CONSUL FREEMAN'S REPORT.—QUESTION.
  THE MARQUESS OF BATHasked the noble Earl the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he had any objection to lay upon the Table the Report of Mr. Consul Freeman, dated 17th March, 1876, and referred to in Sir Henry Elliot's despatch of the 23rd of November? He believed the Report had been promised to the other House of Parliament, and he presumed the noble Earl would not object to lay it on the Table of that House. Perhaps also the noble Earl would be further able to state when it would be in the hands of their Lordships?
  THE EARL OF DERBYsaid, he had no objection to lay the Report on the Table, and he had no doubt it would be in their Lordships' hands in a few days.
  EARL GRANVILLEobserved that the Paper had been already presented to the House of Commons, and there was an understanding that when such Papers were presented to the other House they should also be laid on the Table of their Lordships' House.
  THE EARL OF DERBYadmitted that such was the understanding.
  House adjourned at a quarter past Five o'clock, to Monday next, Eleven o'clock.