§ *LORD BALFOUR moved that the following Lords formed the Select Committee upon this Bill:—The Earl of Lauderdale, the Earl of Carnwath, the Earl of Morley, the Earl of Camperdown, the Marquess of Lothian, Lord Balfour, Lord Reay, Lord Tweedmouth, and Lord Thring.
THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNdid not object to any of the names proposed, but asked whether it was not desirable that some more noble Lords representing England and Ireland should be appointed to serve upon the Committee. The Bill was nominally a Scotch Bill, but at the same time it effected a change in the system of conducting private business which, if it passed with regard to Scotland would, he apprehended, be extended in some form or other both to England and Ireland. Under the circumstances, it seemed to him it was desirable to have representatives of England upon the Committee in addition to the Earl of Morley and Lord Thring.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER (The Marquess of SALISBURY)said that his impression was that, as there was no real controversial question involved, this matter would be more suitably dealt with by the Scotch Lords than by any other Committee that could be arranged. The suggestion of the noble Earl that the enactments would afterwards be extended to England was, he thought, animated by an undue distrust of their Lordships' own powers. If there were any fear of Scotch provisions being extended to England, England was quite strong enough to take care of herself. He therefore would not depart from what appeared to be, in a matter of this technical detail, the soundest plan—namely, that those who 950 were acquainted with Scotch business would be the most capable to examine into the suitability of the provisions of the Bill.
§ Motion agreed to; the Committee to meet on Monday next, at Half-past Three o'clock, and to appoint their own Chairman.