§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I desire to put a Question to my noble friend the First Commissioner of Works as to the Allotments Bill. I understand that it is not proposed to take the Committee stage of that Bill effectively this afternoon; indeed, His Majesty's Government have already announced that fact. But perhaps my noble friend may have some statement to make regarding the future progress of the measure.
THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF WORKS (THE EARL OF CRAWFORD)My Lords, the noble Marquess is correct in saying that the Bill will not be taken today. A general desire was expressed that there should be a very full interval between the Second Reading and the Committee stage, and, accordingly, I suggest that the Committee stage should be begun this day fortnight; that is, May 23. It is impossible to forecast how long the Committee stage will take, but in view of the fact that the Bill was circulated and made public on April 8 or thereabouts, I express a very strong hope that it may be possible to complete the remaining stages of the Bill before Whitsuntide in order that the House of Commons may consider it as soon as possible after the Whitsuntide recess.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYAs far as I am concerned, my Lords, I do not wish to offer any objection to the course which the noble Earl proposes to take. But I gather from what he has said that he does hope that this Allotments Bill—subject to any Amendments your Lordships may see fit to make in it—will be passed in the present session. In that case the question as to what is to happen to Part II of the Agricultural Holdings Bill becomes still more urgent. Your Lordships will remember that Part II of that Bill deals with allotments, and the rather absurd thing will happen that that part of the Consolidation Bill will be already out of date before the Prorogation, if the Allotments Bill passes into law. On a former occasion I ventured to make a suggestion which the Government may have had an opportunity of considering—whether they would not move themselves to strike Part II out of the Consolidation Bill, or at any rate to intimate to my noble friend, Lord Muir Mackenzie, that they do not propose finally to pass it, so that he may not have his time thrown away.
§ LORD MUIR MACKENZIEMy Lords, I should like to add one word upon that subject, because I took it upon myself to say something the other day. I venture to suggest that the Bill should go to the Consolidation Committee just as it is, and that it should be left to that Committee to consider what the effect is of having Clause 11 of the Act of 1920 put in as Part II of the Bill. Unless something is done with that clause so much of the old Bill will be 285 left outstanding that it would certainly be inconvenient, but if the noble Earl in charge of the Allotments Bill (the Earl of Ancaster) should deal with the subject in the Allotments Bill it would then be clear of the Statute Book altogether. I should think it would be a good thing if the Consolidation Committee were allowed to consider the point, and to report upon it to this House when they report upon the Bill generally.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDMy Lords, it is certainly the hope of the Government that this Bill will pass during the present session, but at what date it will pass in the present session is very material to the issue my noble friend has just raised. It is possible that the Bill may come back to this House amended, and that we shall have to consider the Amendments. There may be conversations, and it may be well into July before the Bill is passed. I think it would be imprudent that the Consolidation Committee should suspend its labours in consequence, and I would remind your Lordships that that Committee is perfectly entitled, if it so thinks, to exclude or recommend this House to exclude, Part II of the Bill. If, during the process of investigation, Lord Muir Mackenzie's Committee sees that the Allotments Bill itself is likely to pass soon, they can suspend their operations on Part II, or, if time permitted, the necessary Amendments could be inserted on the Report stage. I should regret, however, if at this stage we held up the work of the Consolidation Committee. There are twenty or twenty-five Statutes to consolidate, irrespective of the Allotments Bill, and there is great opportunitity for the good work of that Committee, apart altogether from the question of the amendment of the law.
§ EARL STANHOPEMy Lords, I desire to ask whether it is not the fact that this part was really put into the Bill as an afterthought? I understood that the rest of the Bill was largely, if not entirely, drawn up by the Central Land Association, and that this was put in by the Ministry of Agriculture after the Bill was drafted.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDI do not think it was an afterthought at all. It is a very material part of the Bill.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I was under the impression that the Consolidation Committee had to deal only 286 with consolidation, and that it was not their practice to recommend that substantial parts of Bills should be omitted altogether, but after what the noble Earl has said, and after having heard my noble friend who is Chairman of the Committee say that they would carefully consider whether that part of the Bill ought to be struck out as part of their reference, I have no objection to that course if my noble friend, Lord Muir Mackenzie, and his Committee are at liberty to make whatever recommendation they think best to the House. That is, I think, a satisfactory solution.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDThat is the inherent right of the Committee without any instructions from your Lordships' House.