THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER (THE EARL OF CRAWFORD)With Your Lordships' sanction, perhaps it would be convenient that the two Notices which stand on the Order Paper in reference to the business of the House in the name of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs should be taken together. I think your Lordships are familiar with these Notices. The first Motion, with regard to Standing Order No. XXI, permits variation in the Order of Business and Notices of Motion, and likewise deals with Bills on Tuesdays and Thursdays which, under the Standing Order, take precedence of all other Notices. Standing Order No. XXXIX precludes more than one stage being taken in a single day, and it is proposed that that Order also should be considered with a view to its suspension for the remainder of the session. So far as I know, there is only one other proposal which will have to be placed before your Lordships of which the House is not already apprised —a Bill to extend the Profiteering Act for a further period. That Act comes to an 370 end, I think, during the month of January, and is to be extended under the new Bill for a few months.
As to Monday, there is a Notice of Motion on the Paper in the name of Lord Bryce calling attention to the situation in Austria, and inquiring as to steps His Majesty's Government may be able to take to relieve the situation. Lord Curzon appreciates the importance of that question, and suggests that it should be taken, if not first, at any rate early in our proceedings on that day so as to ensure that it shall be discussed in good time. I do not give any pledge about the actual position, except that Lord Curzon desires that it should be taken early.
With regard to to-day, the Amendments made by the Commons to the Lords' Amendments to the Aliens Restriction Bill are before your Lordships, and it is suggested that we should proceed with that subject at once. After that, I suggest that we should take the Committee stage of the Housing (Additional Powers) Bill, and then the further stages of the Scottish Land Settlement Bill. Your Lordships observe that there are at least a dozen more Notices on the Paper, many of them, of course, being purely Departmental Bills, but I shall be glad to discuss with noble Lords as to which Notices shall be taken after those three Bills.
§ THE EARL OF SELBORNEWhat about the Agricultural Councils Bill?
§ THE EARL OF SELBORNEYes.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDThen we will take the Agricultural Councils Bill after the Scottish Land Settlement Bill. I am afraid that I am not in a position to state anything about the Prorogation, beyond that it is hoped that it may be possible to prorogue Parliament on Tuesday next.
§ Moved, that Standing Order No. XXI be considered in order to its being suspended, and that for the remainder of the session all Government Bills and Notices which are entered for consideration on the Minutes of the day shall have precedence of other Bills and Notices. That Standing Order No. XXXIX be also considered in order to its being suspended for the remainder of the session.—(The Earl of Crawford.)
371THE MARQUESS OF CREWEMy Lords, I have no adverse comment to offer on the announcement which the noble Earl has just made to us, and certainly I have no intention of offering any opposition to the two Motions for the conduct of business. The arrangement appears to be designed with the purpose—which I hope it will achieve—of making the best use of the limited time which is still left to us. I cannot help congratulating His Majesty's Government that the mass of business with which we might conceivably have had to deal has been sensibly reduced by the abandonment, if not permanently at any rate for a considerable time, of a large number of their most important measures. I am particularly glad to know that the Leader of the House and the noble Earl recognise the gravity of the matter which is to be brought forward by Lord Bryce on Monday next, and that it is intended to give it due precedence on the Order Paper. If His Majesty's Government find that it can be taken first it would, I think, meet the wishes of many members of your Lordships' House; but I understand that, even if some minor or almost formal business comes before it, it will be in no way crowded out but will have all the precedence which I am sure the whole House would agree that it deserves. I understand that the noble Earl desires to proceed at once with the consideration of the Commons Amendments to the Lords Amendments to the Aliens Restriction Bill, and I have no objection to offer to that.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I want to ask a question as regards the carrying over of Bills to another session on which the Government said something in the other House a few days ago. I think your Lordships would wish to be informed what are likely to be the subjects of the process of carrying over. I refer especially to a Bill which I think is called the Emergency Powers (Continuance) Bill, which is known shortly as the D.O.R.A. Continuance Bill. I should like to know how that is going to be dealt with.
While His Majesty's Government are hesitating about answering that question, may I say that in my humble view the question of carrying over is a very important one and deserves very careful consideration, and I should very much like it if the Government would provoke a debate in your Lordships' House at an early period next session in order to discuss the whole subject.
372 I know that there is a great deal to be said on both sides, but there is a particular form of carrying over which has always seemed to me to be well worthy of consideration—namely, where Bills have passed the Commons but have not passed the Lords. Those Bills come to us—as we have often had occasion to complain—very late, and we have had great difficulty in dealing with them. If at that particular stage they could be carried over—by a Standing Order of the House of Commons and not of our own only—I have a strong feeling that public business might be very much better transacted; because the effect would be that nothing which the House of Commons had done to the Bills would be lost, while your Lordships would have an opportunity in the early days of the next ensuing session of considering these important Bills with the due deliberation which ought to be given to them. I am sure that the result would be that the wisdom of your Lordships' House applied to those Bills would turn them into much better Acts of Parliament than can possibly be the case in the closing days of a very crowded session. I think there was a moment when it was necessary to make a pause, and during that pause the noble Earl might make a note of the very respectful suggestion I have made with a view to a discussion at an early date.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDMy Lords, I have profited by the pause, for which I am obliged to the noble Marquess. No Bill is going to be carried over from this session to the next—I believe that there are no powers to do so. If the noble Marquess desires any assistance from the Government to do what he calls "provoke a debate" on this subject next session, I am sure Lord Curzon will be most happy to meet him. It is an interesting subject. I have been familiar with it in the House of Commons, and my impression is that I take a different view from Lord Salisbury. I only wish to add, with regard to what Lord Crewe said, that I merely safeguarded the Austrian question to this extent, that it might be a matter of convenience not only to us but to the other House if perhaps only for a few minutes of our sitting on Monday were occupied by an exchange of opinions; but the Motion of the noble Viscount Lord Bryce shall have a position of first-rate importance on our Order Paper.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.