§ House in Committee (according to Order): Bill reported without amendment.
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPMy Lords, I think I must ask the attention of the noble Marquess the Leader of the House to this Bill. Here is a measure which was read a second time on Thursday last. We now have it down for the Committee stage, and I venture to think that, unless there are some special circumstances which were not explained to us by the noble Viscount, there really is no need for hurrying on the business of the House in this fashion. It is conceivable that there are Scottish members of your Lordships' House who might like to write to Scotland, to ask whether there is anything to be said on this matter and who might wish to introduce Amendments. It may be within the knowledge of the noble Marquess that I have complained during the past week of the way in which noble Lords are precluded from moving Amendments to Bills which are introduced into this House, owing to the unnecessary despatch with which the Committee stage follows the next day after the Second Reading of the Bill, and the Third Reading follows the day after the Committee stage. This Bill, I think, affords an instance of the procedure to which I refer. Although we should be very willing to assist His Majesty's Government on any occasion when there is real reason for despatch, the Third Reading of this Bill, unless there is reason for haste, might at any rate be postponed so that, if noble Lords have Amendments which they wish to put down, they may have some opportunity of discussing them with their friends beforehand.
§ VISCOUNT NOVARI only put down the Bill because it was a perfectly non-contentious Bill, but I am willing to put off the Third Reading if that meets the views of the noble Earl.