THE MARQUESS OF CREWEMy Lords, I beg to ask the noble Earl the Leader of the House whether he is able to give us any information about the course of business during the present week; also when it is proposed to adjourn for Whitsuntide, and for how long.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTON)My Lords, I will answer both of the questions which have been put to me by the noble Marquess the Leader of the Opposition. It is in contemplation to ask your Lordships to adjourn from Thursday next, May 16, until Tuesday, May 28, the day on which the other House of Parliament reassembles. I am not certain, however, unless other events supervene, that there will be any business of importance to come to us at that date from another place; and therefore I think it not at all 1054 unlikely, when the House reassembles on May 28, that it may be in my power, if your Lordships approve, to move a further adjournment for a week or some short space of time.
In the interval between now and Thursday I hope to persuade your Lordships to give your assent to the passage of two Bills, both of which are in charge of my noble friend the Lord Privy Seal. The first of these is the Post Office (No. 2) Bill. It is a measure dealing with smite of the changes that have been brought about in the Post Office in relation to the financial proposals of tile Government, told it is extremely desirable on financial grounds that it should receive the Royal Assent before Parliament separates—for the reason that if the Bill be not passed within that period, a very considerable burden will be imposed on the Exchequer. My noble friend will therefore ask your Lordships to give a Second Reading to that Bill to-morrow (Wednesday); and there being, so far as I can anticipate, no Amendments he will ask your Lordships to suspend Standing Order No. XXXIX on the following day in order to allow the Bill to be taken through its remaining stages.
The second Bill to which I have referred is also a matter of some urgency. It is the Defence of the Realm (Food Profits) Bill. That measure received a Second Reading at your Lordships' hands on Thursday last. It had been contemplated to take the Committee stage to-day, but the Order Paper shows that there are one or two Amendments down—Government Amendments—dealing, I believe, with matters of procedure, and inasmuch as I am reluctant at any time to ask your Lordships to discuss Amendments in Committee which you have only seen for an hour or two, or perhaps but a few minutes, before you come into the House, I prefer to put off the Committee stage of that Bill until to-morrow. In the event of your Lordships agreeing to this procedure I would ask that the suspension of the Standing Order should be applicable to that Bill also, so that it may pass through all its remaining stages before the adjournment of the House.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYAs I understand it, the suspension of the standing Order would apply only to the Report stage and Third Reading on 1055 Thursday. There is no reason, I take it, why these Bills should be passed before Thursday
§ EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTONThere is no absolute reason, of course, except the delay that may be caused in the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament. I do not suppose it matters, unless your Lordships have points of importance and criticism to raise, whether you pass the Bills on Wednesday or Thursday. On Thursday there is the question of the time of the meeting of this House; a Bill amended here has to go back to another place; and a Royal Commission has to be taken later in the day. While the noble Marquess is a great stickler for procedure, there is no benefit in making any point about procedure unless something is to be gained by it.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYI understand that your Lordships will be asked to meet not only on Wednesday but also on Thursday, and there is ample time to deal with these Bills on Thursday. The noble Earl speaks as though it were an unprecedented matter that we should deal with a Bill on a particular day and pass it through its final stages, and that the Royal Assent should be given to it on the same evening. That has been done over and over again.
§ EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTONYes; but if a Bill is amended in Committee in this House it has to go back to the other House; a sitting has to take place, and unless there is any advantage to be gained—
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYThe House of Commons will be sitting on Thursday.
§ EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTONI do not know at what hour, but I think we should try to suit the convenience, as far as we can, of both Houses; and unless some advantage can be gained I would suggest that your Lordships should pass the Bill—the Defence of the Realm (Food Profits) Bill—through its various stages to-morrow.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYI regret to appear to be unyielding, but as I have watched the perpetual infractions on your Lordships' procedure under the 1056 leadership of the noble Earl I am rather reluctant to agree to his proposal. I hope that we shall be able to meet him in some way, but he must not be surprised if tomorrow we cannot see eye to eye with him on this point. There is no question, my Lords, of postponing these Bills until after the Whitsuntide recess. They ought to have been brought to your Lordships' House earlier, and we should have been given ample time for discussion. As usual they have been brought here late, and there is the customary hurry and want of business-like capacity shown in the way business is managed. But let that pass. We have these two days, and there appears to be no reason why we should not use them. The matter is not one of great importance. I do not suppose there is much to be said on either Bill, but if there is no good reason why we should not discuss them properly on Wednesday and Thursday I think we ought to do so.
§ EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTONIf the noble Marquess is so anxious to set to work at once, why does he not take the Amendments in Committee now? It is solely out of regard to your Lordships' House—
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYThere has been no notice given.
§ EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTONYes, the Amendments are in print and have been circulated, and the Bill is down for Committee this afternoon. If the noble Marquess is so anxious to do business in a businesslike way, my noble friend is quite prepared to proceed with the Committee stage to-day.
§ LORD BUCKMASTERMight I suggest to the noble Marquess that it would be well to consider the relative times at which the two Houses sit. It is not unusual for the other House, on the last day before adjourning for a recess, to meet at 12 o'clock, and it would be extremely inconvenient if this House sat at the usual hour and sent a Bill down for further consideration, perhaps after the proceedings of the other House had concluded. I place that before the noble Marquess for his consideration,. as I know he does not wish to create any unnecessary inconvenience between the two Houses, and perhaps unnecessary inconvenience would take place if the course proposed by the noble Earl were not adopted.