HL Deb 17 July 1883 vol 281 cc1659-60
THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES)

said, he rose to ask, Whether Her Majesty's Government would take into consideration the expediency of introducing into that House the Bills passed by the Standing Committees of the House of Commons on Bankruptcy, Criminal Appeal, and Patents, whereby due time would be allowed to that House for their consideration, which could not otherwise be the case if they were to be passed in the present Session? He did not propose that Bills which had passed through Committees of the House of Commons—that was to say, Committees of the Whole House—should be introduced in their Lordships' House; but only those Bills which had passed through a newly-constituted body of the House of Commons, and which, perhaps, might never reach Committee stage in the other House. If those Bills were introduced in their Lordships' House as new measures they would have an opportunity of considering them carefully, and of sending them down amended to the other House. Otherwise, owing to the late period of the Session, it would be impossible for their Lordships to give them due consideration. If what he proposed was done, it would enable the House of Commons to consider the Bills, not only as they had come from the Grand Committees, but as they had been amended by their Lordships.

EARL GRANVILLE

said, that the object of the noble Earl was excellent; and the Government were obliged to him for making suggestions with the object of facilitating the despatch of Public Business. They did not, however, see their way to the adoption of the noble Earl's present recommendation. Grand Committees were an experiment, and, in his opinion, a successful experiment. A perfectly new arrangement, such as that proposed by the noble Earl, could not be agreed to for the reason given, a few days ago, by the noble Duke opposite (the Duke of Richmond and Gordon), in which the Government felt that there was considerable force—namely, that as the Bills had not passed all their stages in the House of Commons, their Lordships might have to consider the same measures twice over.