§ EARL BEAUCHAMPasked Her Majesty's Government, Whether it would not tend to general convenience if the Public Business of the House before Easter was ordered to begin at 5.30 instead of 4.30? The noble Earl said, that until a few years ago Public Business began at a quarter past 5 o'clock, the House assembling at 5; but on the Motion of a noble Earl opposite the House began to meet at 4.15, Public Business commencing at 4.30. The idea was that then debates would be usefully lengthened by affording opportunities to speak to younger Peers who, under the former arrangement, were said to have been deterred by the fear of infringing upon the dinner hour. But he did not think the expectation as to the encouragement of younger Peers and the development of latent abilities had been realized, while in the earlier part of the Session the present arrangement led to the rising of the House at a time which left a considerable interval before dinner, and that interval could not be used for exercise in the open air, because it was too dark until Easter; and noble Lords who were engaged in Judicial Business or on Committees were deprived of the opportunity for such exercise between 4 and 5 by the present arrangement for Public Business. If the change that was made some years ago had produced the results that were anticipated, he would not think of raising the question; but in the absence of such results he thought the matter worthy of reconsideration.
§ VISCOUNT MIDLETONsaid, that this subject came before their Lordships' House some 10 years ago, and was referred to a Select Committee presided over by the Earl of Carnarvon, and was afterwards repeatedly and fully dis- 696 cussed, and the House decided without any Division to meet at an earlier hour. In spite of what had been said by the noble Earl (Earl Beauchamp), he believed the results of the change made had been perfectly satisfactory, and debates of importance would probably have been cut short if the House had met at a later hour. Of course, there were occasions when there was only a little Business before their Lordships' House, and when the House in consequence rose at an early hour; but he did not think that those occasions could be set against the numerous instances in which more time was required than could be given between half-past 5 o'clock and 8 o'clock. The present arrangement enabled noble Lords who were on Committees to come straight to the House. So far as Ministers were concerned, he could quite conceive that it would be convenient to them if their Lordships met at a later hour; but, upon the whole, there were very strong grounds for supporting the existing arrangements.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (The Marquess of SALISBURY)said, that, so far as he could gather the opinion of the House, he was bound to say that it was decidedly Conservative in this as in other matters. He did not think that, from the point of view of the Government, it made much difference; and the only Member of the Government to whom a later hour would be attractive was the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who was now frequently obliged to leave an Ambassador in the middle of an interview. He was very much surprised to find that the noble Earl who held that position when the change was made was one of the strongest advocates for meeting at an earlier hour. Now that the change had been made, and their Lordships had fixed all their arrangements accordingly, it was very undesirable that they should make a further alteration. He quite agreed that no great change should be made in Constitutional principles until a necessity had been shown for it. He was sorry to see that there was a spirit of alteration in the air, and he noticed that the House of Commons was proposing to meet at 3 o'clock. He did not know how far the noble Earl would insist on following that proposal.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, that he was pleased to be able to concur with the Conservative view of the case. He quite agreed with the noble Marquess that the Foreign Secretary was the Minister most affected by this change, and if he did not object nobody else was likely to do so. The noble Marquess said that owing to the early hour at which the House met he sometimes had to break off an important conversation with an Ambassador. He was not perfectly clear whether that was not on some occasions rather convenient. He was under the impression that the Rule had worked well, and that in consequence they had had a great many debates in the last two years which had gone on till 8 o'clock, and which would otherwise have been cut short, while if there was no Business more time was obtained for other Business, or for recreation, or for catching a train. He noticed that the disposition to go away at 8 o'clock was not confined to their Lordships, but that in the House of Commons it was actually proposed to suspend the Sitting at that hour. He agreed with the noble Marquess that it would be much better that they should remain as they were.