HL Deb 09 December 1915 vol 20 cc589-90

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.— (The Lord Chancellor.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly.

[Lord BALFOUR of BURLEIGH in the Chair.]

Clause 1:

Power of Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to sit in more than one division at the same time.

1.—(1) The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council may, subject to the approval of the Lord Chancellor and the Lord President of the Council, sit in more than one division at the same time, and in such case anything which may be done to, by or before the Judicial Committee may be done to, by or before any such division of the Judicial Committee.

(2) The power of His Majesty in Council to make rules as to the practice and procedure before the Judicial Committee shall include the power to make orders for the constituting of divisions and the holding of divisional sittings of the Judicial Committee, and for making such adaptations in the enactments relating to the Judicial Committee as may be necessary for giving effect to this Act.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR

My Lords, I move to delete from the end of subsection (2) the words "and for making such adaptations in the enactments relating to the Judicial Committee as may be necessary for giving effect to this Act." I submit this Amendment out of consideration for the point raised by Lord Muir-Mackenzie, who suggested yesterday that the power which these words would confer would enable rules to be made affecting existing legislation by which the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is controlled. It certainly was not intended to do anything of the kind; it was only intended that the rules should enable the main purpose of the Bill—that is to say, that the Judicial Committee should sit in two Divisions—to be carried out and made effectual. As the noble Lord, who has great experience in these matters, apprehends that this might be adapted for use for another purpose I am quite willing to meet his view mid omit the words.

Amendment, moved— Page 1, line 15, leave out all words after the word ("Committee") to the end of the subsection. —(The Lord Chancellor.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.

Remaining clause agreed to.

The Report of Amendment to be received on Tuesday next, and Bill to be printed as amended: Standing Order No. XXXIX, to be considered in order to its being dispensed with. (No.181.)