HL Deb 21 March 1923 vol 53 cc524-6
THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

Your Lordships will, perhaps, allow me to suggest to the House that we should take the Committee stage of the Unemployment Insurance Bill on Monday, and I hope that will suit the convenience of the noble Earl opposite.

EARL BUXTON

Yes.

THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

I do not know whether the noble Earl can give me any indication as to whether he proposes to move Amendments on a large scale. It would help me very much in mapping out the business of the House if I knew that. But in any case we pro- pose to take the Committee stage of the Bill on Monday. Perhaps your Lordships will permit me to say, as I am dealing with business, that we do not propose to take the next Order on the Paper, the Mines (Working Facilities and Support) Bill, to-night, but to put it down for Monday. That course appears to be convenient to noble Lords who are interested in the measure. The Mines Bill is an important one, and we are under an obligation, not to get it through both Houses of Parliament but to get it through the House of Lords, if we can, before the Easter Recess. We shall make an attempt to do that, if your Lordships will allow us. For that purpose we propose to put the Bill down as the first Order on Monday. It will require a slight Motion modifying Standing Orders to give it precedence, and we hope the House will allow us to do that. The business on Monday, then, will be the Mines Bill first, then the Orders as they stand on the Paper, and at the end of them the Committee stage of the Bill which we have just now been discussing.

EARL BUXTON

My Lords, as regards the Mines Bill, from what I know of my noble friends who are interested in it, though I cannot pledge them, I think it would suit them very well if it were the first Order on Monday. With reference to the Unemployment Insurance Bill, I may say that I have not any extensive Amendments to put down. So far as I know at present, I have not any, for the reason which the noble Earl has stated, that this is merely a provisional Bill. If it was a big Bill dealing with the whole question of unemployment I should probably have many Amendments to propose. As it is, without pledging myself not to put anything down, my Amendments will be very few in number and probably not of very great importance.

THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

I am very much obliged to the noble Earl.