HL Deb 13 May 1907 vol 174 cc535-7
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE

My Lords, I beg to ask the noble Marquess the Leader of the House a Question of which I have given him private notice, namely, whether it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to take part in the proceedings of the Select Committee which the House on the 7th instant decided, on Lord Cawdor's Motion, to appoint. I ask this Question because there is a certain amount of doubt as to the intention of His Majesty's Government. The noble Earl the Lord President of the Council at the outset of the debate stated distinctly that it would be useless for His Majesty's Government to take part in the deliberations of the Committee, and the Amendment which he subsequently moved pointed clearly in that direction; but the concluding words of the noble Marquess towards the end of the debate were not quite in accord with the earlier statement. The noble Marquess said— Therefore we feel that you should wait until you know what are the principles of the proposals of the Government in regard to differences between the two Houses, and then, with full knowledge of the facts of the case, proceed upon the inquiry which you desire. The inference from the noble Earl's statement was that there should be no discussion until provision had actually been made for adjusting differences between the two Houses, while the inference from the noble Marquess's statement was rather that no discussion should take place until the Government proposals had been made known. The two things are not quite the same, and I should be glad if the noble Marquess could remove that element of doubt. I take this opportunity of asking him a further Question of which I have given him notice, namely, whether he is able to tell us how soon the Committee appointed on the Motion of Lord Burghclere to inquire into the Standing Orders of debate is expected to meet.

*THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (the Marquess of RIPON)

My Lords, the distinction which my noble friend has drawn between what was said by myself and by the Lord President seems to me extremely subtle. My noble friend will recollect that when I made my speech the other night it was under severe pressure. I was informed that some dreadful thing would happen if I did not stop at a particular time, and, in order to avoid that catastrophe, I was careful to say as little as I decently could. But I did not at all intend to contradict what fell from my noble friend the Lord President of the Council. The view we take is that the inquiry of the Committee—and your Lordships having passed the Resolution appointing the Committee, I say it with all respect—is inopportune, and, that being so, in our judgment it would be quite out of place, indeed it would place us in a false position, if we were to take any part in the Committee. That, I hope, is a sufficiently distinct Answer. With regard to the other Question, I have been in communication with Lord Burghclere, and it has been agreed that it would be convenient to hold the first meeting of the Committee upon rules of debate on the first Thursday after the re-assembling of the House after Whitsuntide.

THE EARL OFCAMPERDOWN

The noble Marquess says he is not prepared to take part in the Committee to which Lord Newton's Bill and other proposals are to be referred. Does he also intend to advise his friends behind him to take no part in that Committee?

THE MARQUESS OF RIPON

I spoke for Members of the Government. I do not in the least intend to exercise any influence, if I have any, over my noble friends behind me.

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