HL Deb 10 March 1915 vol 18 c644
THE LORD CHANCELLOR

Before your Lordships proceed further with the business on the Paper, perhaps I might be permitted to make a statement with regard to one of the Bills which appear there. By a misfortune, not the fault of the officials of this House, the wrong Bill has been printed. The Defence of the Realm (Amendment) Bill which appears on the Order Paper for Second Reading to-day is purported to be printed, but what is actually printed is the Defence of the Realm (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, which is quite a different measure. In those circumstances I cannot ask your Lordships to proceed to-day with a Bill which has not been printed. The print of the Bill on the Order Paper to-day will be in your Lordships' hands this evening, and I suggest that it should be put down for Second Reading to-morrow, and then it will be for your Lordships to judge whether or not you will take all the stages on that day. If you think on the Second Reading that we have discussed every point and there is substantial agreement, then possibly it would be convenient to take the other stages on the same day; but if not, we can either have a Friday sitting or take the subsequent stages on Monday. But I propose to ask your Lordships to defer judgment upon that point until you have the real Bill before you and are able to form an opinion as to whether or not it is necessary that two days should be taken.