§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES)said, he had read in one of the newspapers a statement to the effect that—
Lord Redesdale's proposal to refer to the House of Lords Bills that had passed the Standing Committees could not be entertained by the Government, for the ease is not identical with that of ordinary Bills which have passed through Committee.He wished to say that he had never proposed that such Bills should be removed from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, which would be contrary to all practice; what he had suggested was that they should be introduced 1174 at once into their Lordships' House, as sanctioned by those Committees and as original Government measures. They had received very great consideration by an important body of the House of Commons, and he thought they might be satisfactorily introduced into their Lordships' House and passed through it. If that was done, the House of Commons would not only have jurisdiction over the Bills which had passed through their own Grand Committees, but would have the benefit of the Amendments made as the Bills passed through their Lordships' House. There was nothing contrary to the practice of Parliament in such a proceeding, which would be quite business-like, the object of those Grand Committees being to facilitate the passing of Bills through the House of Commons. He hoped, therefore, that his proposal might receive the careful consideration of the Government.