REPORT OF AMENDMENTS. (Hansard, 11 August 1882)

§ LORD CARLINGFORD (LORD PRIVY SEAL),

in moving that the Report of the Amendments to this Bill be received, said, he should like to say a word with respect to one Amendment which he accepted yesterday from the noble Duke (the Duke of Richmond and Gordon), 1496 who, he was sorry to see, was not in his place. The noble Duke had left London this morning, otherwise he should have communicated with him. He was anxious to say that, in accepting the Amendment upon the 2nd sub-section of the 6th clause, the effect of which was to remove the fixed number of publicly-elected Members which the Commission should be required to include in any future Governing Body, it was an Amendment which he himself thought was an improvement on the Bill, and thoroughly consistent with the sound doctrine that they ought to trust the Commission, and, as far as possible, avoid imposing these absolute restrictions upon their discretion. Still, he found that, in accepting the Amendment on the spur of the moment—it had not been printed—he went somewhat beyond the intention of the Scotch Education Department, and the promises that were made in "another place." He thought it right that he should say that in justice to his noble Friend near him (the Earl of Rosebery), and to the Vice President of the Council.

THE EARL OF ROSEBERY

said, he honestly thought, from the point of view of the Bill, that the Amendments of the noble Duke were not of supreme importance, because, in the first place, they would remove some anomalies; in the second place, he thought the Commission would have had sufficient indications in the spirit of the clause of what was intended to guide them without further restriction; and, in the third place, it must be observed that if the Lord Privy Seal had not accepted the Amendment, it would have been open and competent to the noble Duke to defeat him on a division, which he was afraid, from the appearance of the House yesterday, compared with its appearance to-day, could very easily have been done. But what was of supreme importance in this matter was, that there should not be the slightest doubt or reflection cast on the good faith of the Government in dealing with this Bill. There was no doubt that, after considerable reflection and deliberation in the Scottish Education Department, it was determined to tie up the hands of the Commission with regard to the introduction of the re- 1497 presentative element in the Governing Bodies. Those proposals were submitted to Parliament, and received the sanction of Parliament, as being pledged on the part of Her Majesty's Government. If the noble Duke had been present, and it had been possible to give him Notice of the intention of the Government, it would have been the duty of the Government to move the re-introduction of the original words on Report; but, as the noble Duke was not present, and as his Amendment was accepted by the Government yesterday, it would be breaking faith with him if any Motion of that sort were made in this House. The consideration of the Amendments of the noble Duke must be left to be dealt with by the House of Commons, on the clear understanding that the House of Lords had done nothing intentionally to frustrate the intentions of the Government as expressed in the House of Commons.