§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEIt would be for the convenience of the House if the noble Viscount opposite could tell us what business he proposes to take during the remaining days of this part of the session, and also on what day he proposes that the House should rise for the Autumn Adjournment.
§ VISCOUNT HALDANEIf your Lordships thought fit to sit to-morrow, Thursday, and Friday, we could dispose of all the necessary business. If convenient, the sitting on Friday might be at three o'clock and then the Commission could take place afterwards, between four and five o'clock to give the Royal Assent to the Bills that 1119 would then be awaiting the Royal Assent. Among the Bills to be dealt with are the Old Age Pensions Bill, a Bill to enable the appointment of additional High Court Judges in India, the Labourers (Ireland) Bill, the Pensions (Governors of Dominions, &c.) Bill, the Appropriation Bill, the Telephone Transfer Bill, the Public Works Loans Bill, the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill, the Government of India Act Amendment Bill, the Cotton Cloth Factories Bill, and the Geneva Convention Bill. The Bills which must go over to the Autumn include the Copyright Bill, the Education (Administrative Provisions) Bill, the Pacific Cable Bill, and the Telegraph Construction Bill. That relieves the list somewhat and leaves us with those Bills which I have mentioned, most of which are quite short and are not, so far as I am aware, controversial.
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEI am glad to learn from the noble Viscount that he proposes to carry over until the Autumn Session a number of the pending measures. It would, as he evidently feels, be extremely inconvenient—I might say extremely indecent—that during the two or three days which remain to us we should be asked, with an Autumn Session before us, to hurry through measures of any consequence. The noble Viscount suggested that some of the Bills which he hopes to take during the next three days were Bills of little or no importance. May I venture to suggest to him that, though a Bill may be an agreed Bill, there may be many members of your Lordships' House who may desire to examine its details and ask questions about it. The noble Viscount mentioned the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill. Am I right in believing that under that Bill His Majesty's 1120 Government propose this year to extend the operation of the Evicted Tenants (Ireland) Act? That, I am sure the noble Viscount will recognise, is a matter of considerable importance. The Act in question had a time limit of four years assigned to it. That period of four years was imposed on this House, which very much desired to have a shorter time limit. I must say that if that Act is to be further extended under cover of the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill His Majesty's Government are likely to meet with a certain amount of remonstrance from noble Lords from Ireland.
§ VISCOUNT HALDANEIt could be, of course, only for the year, in order to give time to consider whether it should be carried on or not. But I will look into that.
§ VISCOUNT ST. ALDWYNIt is all very well for the noble Viscount to say that the insertion of an Act in the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill is merely to give time for consideration. We know that Acts have for a generation been inserted in the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill and have become permanent when Parliament never intended in passing them that they should be permanent. I think we may fairly ask, if the Evicted Tenants (Ireland) Act is to be included in the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill, that that Bill, if possible, should be relegated to the Autumn.
§ VISCOUNT HALDANEI will look into that.
§ House adjourned at twenty minutes before Seven o'clock, till Tomorrow, a quarter-past Four o'clock.