THE MARQUBSS CURZON OF KEDLESTONMy Lords, may I ask the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack what are the Government's ideas about the course of business? I understand that an Unemployment Insurance Bill is coming from another place in the course of the next twenty-four hours, and that the Government desire to pass that Bill through its various stages before your Lordships separate for the holidays on Tuesday next. If that be so, it may be necessary that your Lordships should meet on one of the days between now and then on which we ordinarily would not be sitting. Perhaps the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack will tell us what is intended.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORMy Lords, here again I desire to meet the convenience of the noble Marquess who leads the Opposition, and of Lord Beauchamp who speaks for the Liberal Party. There are alternative courses which may be taken. Probably this Bill will come here tomorrow, I understand about seven o'clock. We should then be able to take the First Beading. Then comes the question of the subsequent stages. One course is to lake the Second Beading on Friday, the Committee stage on Monday, and the remaining stages and Third Beading on Tuesday. The other course is that we should put down a Motion to suspend the Standing Orders and take the Bill, which is a one-clause Bill, through all its stages on Friday, and have an early sitting in order to save your Lordships the inconvenience of a late sitting.
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPMy Lords, this is a matter which can only be reached by general agreement. This Bill is a Money Bill, and therefore it is not one of those measures on which your Lordships 224 generally spend very much time. For my own part, and also speaking for noble friends who act with me, I see no objection, in these special circumstances, to meeting on Friday at twelve o'clock and carrying the Bill through all its remaining stages after it has been read a first time to-morrow. That would save your Lordships the inconvenience of meeting next week on Tuesday and dealing with it then. While I am entirely in your Lordships' hands and would defer to what is said by the noble Marquess who leads the Opposition, I think on the whole the balance of advantage is in favour of dealing with it in its later stages on Friday morning.
§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTONMy Lords, I think we are in some danger of carrying this practice of suspending our Standing Orders and rushing through legislation rather too far. When I sat upon the Bench opposite there was a very vigilant watch dog in the person of my noble friend the Marquess of Salisbury who used to sit here and keep me in order, and in his unfortunate absence from the House I must endeavour to clothe myself with some of his attributes. This is not a mere Money Bill. I think I am correct in saying that it extends the period, and that is a point which we may legitimately discuss in this House. I think the beet plan would be to read the Bill a first time to-morrow and take the Second Beading on Friday, holding a sitting for that purpose and for any other purpose which may be required. Then the suspension of the Standing Orders could be moved so far as to admit of the remaining stages of the Bill being passed on Tuesday next. We need not meet on Monday. We have to meet in any case on Tuesday, and probably noble Lords will say all they want to say on the Bill on Friday, and the House will then be less reluctant to suspend the Standing Orders for the completion of the Bill on Tuesday.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORI am perfectly prepared to take the course suggested by the noble Marquess. That is, to read the Bill a first time to-morrow, take the Second Reading on Friday, move the suspension of the Standing Orders on Tuesday, and carry the Bill through all its remaining stages on that day.
§ House adjourned at a quarter past five o'clock.