BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 16 February 1905)

§ LORD JAMES OF HEREFORD

My Lords, perhaps it would be as well that I should state at once that the Motion standing in my name on the Paper is not intended to be of a purely formal character. I am sure I shall have general acquiescence when I say that in every portion of this House a feeling has been growing that there is not sufficient opportunity afforded to your Lordships of duly discharging your legislative duties at certain periods of the session. This was accentuated at the end of last session, when your Lordships" House was placed in an anomalous position. I suggest to your Lordships that it would be a step in the right direction, and place this House in a better position for action, if the data were in an official manner placed upon record, so that there can be no doubt of the facts with which we shall have to deal. I am now, therefore, asking that a Return shall be placed upon the Journals of this House showing 291 at what dates Bills have been brought from the other House for consideration, and what opportunity has been afforded this House for the due discharge of our deliberate and legislative duties. It would, of course, be no use obtaining this Return without taking some action upon it; and I now give notice that I shall, at some future date, move a Resolution in the hope of, to some extent, extricating this House from the position in which it has been placed. In these circumstances I hope my noble friend the Leader of the House, with whom the great responsibility of dealing with public business here rests, will feel that there is nothing hostile in my Motion.

Moved, "For a Return, showing—(1) The dates upon which any Bills mentioned in the different Speeches from the Throne during the present Parliament were introduced into the House of Commons; (2) the dates when such Bills were transmitted to this House; (3) the dates when the different stages of such Bills were taken in this House; (4) like dates in respect of Bills of an important character not mentioned in the Speeches from the Throne, but introduced by, or supported by the Government; (5) the dates of the Prorogation of Parliament in the different sessions of the present Parliament."—(Lord James of Hereford.)

§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE

My Lords, we offer no opposition whatever to the Motion of the noble and learned Lord. In fact, we on this Bench to a great extent share the views which he has expressed as to the desirability of affording to this House increased opportunities of taking a timely interest in the legislation of the session. I may, perhaps, be permitted to say that having made a very careful note of the feelings expressed in different parts of the House last year on this subject, I represented the matter as strongly as I could to my colleagues, and I am able to tell your Lordships that some of the Bills referred to in the gracious Speech from the Throne will certainly be introduced in your Lordships" House. I may mention, in particular, that the Workmen"s Compensation Bill will certainly be so introduced, and I am in hopes that we may be able to make arrangements for also 292 introducing the Valuation Bill in this House. There is, besides, an important Bill which was omitted, owing to an oversight, from the Speech from the Throne—I mean a Bill dealing with the conditions of service in the Militia, which my noble friend Lord Donoughmore will introduce in this House at an early date. There is also a Bill with regard to Crown Cases Reserved, which the noble and learned Earl on the Woolsack intends to introduce, and, I believe, another Bill dealing with corrupt practices. I hope, therefore, that I have said enough to convince my noble and learned friend that we are sincere in our desire to give the House those opportunities which he is so anxious should be accorded to us.