§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ EARL SPENCER, in moving that the Bill be now read a second time, said, that in 1877 the Universities Act established the Universities Committee of the Privy Council, whose duty it was to consider any opposed statute framed by the University Commissioners of Oxford and Cambridge, and, if such a statute should require amendment, to return it to the Commission for alteration. The powers of the Commission, unless they were renewed, would cease this year; and, consequently, there would be no means of amending opposed statutes framed by the Commissioners. The Bill now before their Lordships was intended to remedy this inconvenience. It would give the Universities Committee of the Privy Council the same power of revision as was now possessed by the Commission itself. The revising 10 powers of the Committee would be confined to statutes that were appealed against, either through the Queen in Council or by an Address from either House of Parliament. It would also have the power to revise any statute which might be consequentially affected by the amendment of another statute. He thought sufficient ground for the Bill would be furnished in the fact that out of 100 statutes framed by the Oxford Commission, and 25 by the Cambridge, only two had. been finally approved down to the present time.
§ Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a."—(The Lord President.)
§ Motion agreed to; Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House To-morrow.