§ Order for Committee read.
THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (The EARL of MORLEY)Before the House goes into Committee on the Electric Lighting Provisional Orders Bills I desire to call your Lordships' attention to the enormous number of Electric Lighting Provisional Orders this session. There are 19 Bills dealing with 90 Orders. Each Order consists of 36 pages, of which 30 contain common form clauses, and, from the great bulk which these Bills assume it will be seen how necessary it is that the Electric Lighting Orders (Common Form Clauses) Bill should be pressed forward in the other House. That Bill will obviate the necessity of introducing the common form clauses in all Provisional Orders. The examination of these statutes after they have received the Royal Assent involves great labour, not to speak of the enormous amount of printing which is necessitated. As soon as the Bills have received the Royal Assent every one of the Orders has to be most carefully examined, and I need not point out to your Lordships that the examination of the common form clauses is an absolute waste of time. Not only is the labour excessive, but great public inconvenience is caused, as the process of examining so many clauses delays the issue of the statutes to the public. There have been a good many complaints in 752 recent years that the Statutes are not issued until late in the autumn. I would suggest to the Board of Trade, if they find it impossible to pass the Common Form Clauses Bill through Parliament this session, that in the coming session of Parliament they should group a large number of Orders of the same character in single Bills, and schedule the common form clauses at the end of each Bill.
§ THE SECRETARY FOR SCOTLAND (Lord BALFOUR OF BURLEIGH)My Lords, as I am temporarily representing the Board of Trade, owing to the absence of the noble Earl the Parliamentary Secretary, I say at once that the Board of Trade are deeply impressed with the strength of the case which the noble Earl the Chairman of Committees has put forward, and are in agreement with him as to the advantage of the course he suggests. I do not think anyone can doubt the desirability of adopting that course when they look at the great bulk which these Bills assume, and the noble Earl has laid them upon the Table of your Lordships' House as a very striking object lesson. I should not like, however, on behalf of the Board of Trade, to come under a definite obligation to press forward the Electric Lighting Orders (Common Form Clauses) Bill, because the more it is thought that the Government are bound to press forward that particular Bill, the more, I am afraid, some malicious persons may wish to place obstacles in its way; but it is the hope of the Board of Trade that the Bill will be passed this session if possible. If it is found impossible to get the Bill through this session, I think the alternative suggested by the noble Earl is one which is well worthy of consideration. I understand he has communicated privately with the Board of Trade in this direction, but in any case I have no hesitation in coming under an obligation to communicate with the officials of the Board of Trade with a view of having one of his suggestions carried into effect.
Bills committed to a Committee of the whole House.