§ THE EARL OF HALSBURYI should like to ask the noble Viscount the Leader of the House whether he can give us any information as to the course of business for the remainder of the session.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (VISCOUNT MORLEY)My Lords, I am glad that the noble and learned Earl has put this question, as I am sure the House is naturally interested in knowing the course of business before it. I will state how we think it well for the business to proceed. During the course of this week we expect to receive from another place three important measures—namely, the Coal Mines Bill, the Naval Prize Bill, and the National Insurance Bill. I hope that the Coal Mines Bill and the Naval Prize Bill will reach their last stages respectively in another place to-morrow. In that case we would propose to read those two Bills in this House a first time to-morrow evening. The National Insurance Bill 450 will reach your Lordships' House, if all goes well, on Wednesday next, December 6. I trust that it will meet with your Lordships' convenience to take the Second Reading of the Naval Prize Bill on Wednesday next, the 6th instant, and the Second Reading of the Coal Mines Bill on Thursday, the 7th. I ought to mention that on Thursday next the noble Earl, Lord Curzon, proposes to call attention to the state of affairs in Persia and to inquire as to the policy of His Majesty's Government, but I understand from hint that the discussion need not be a long one. My idea would be, subject to your Lordships' approval, that Lord Curzon's Motion upon Persia might be taken before we proceed to other business on Thursday. We could then go on with the Coal Mines Bill after the Persian discussion was over. We propose asking the House to take the Second Reading of the National Insurance Bill on Monday, the 11th instant. It is, of course, our confident hope, as it is that of the whole House, that the Prorogation should take place before Christmas, and supposing that we sit on Friday, December 8, and on Friday and Saturday, December 15 and 16 respectively, as I think the House might be disposed to do, that would give us—though I am afraid it is not a large, figure—between to-morrow and the 19th ten working days. There will be a few Bills of minor importance which will come before your Lordships which have already been mentioned by the Prime Minister in another place, but with the important or unimportant exception of the Finance Bill, I have mentioned the principal measures which will be submitted to your Lordships before the end of the session.
§ THE EARL OF SELBORNEWhat day does the noble Viscount propose to take the Second Reading of the Naval Prize Bill?
§ VISCOUNT MORLEYI said that we proposed to take it on Wednesday next, the 6th instant.
§ THE EARL OF SELBORNEI do not know whether it would be possible for the noble Viscount, on account of circumstances with which he is familiar and in respect of which the whole House will feel the deepest sympathy with the noble Marquess the Leader of the Opposition, to put off the Second Reading of that Bill until the early part of next week.
§ VISCOUNT MORLEYI am quite sure the noble Earl is right when he says that the whole House, without distinction of Party, deeply sympathises with the noble Marquess the Leader of the Opposition. As to the postponement of the Naval Prize Bill, noble Lords opposite know that it is far from easy when you come to a rather congested state of things like this to adjust and readjust, but I will carefully consider the point with an earnest desire to meet noble Lords opposite.
§ THE EARL OF SELBORNEI may say that I have just had the advantage of hearing Lord Lansdowne's views on this matter, and I think that if the Whips on both sides discuss it no difficulty will be found in coining to an arrangement.