§ THE LORD CHANCELLORMy Lords, there is a matter of urgency on which I desire to take the opinion of the noble Marquess the Leader of the Opposition, and also to hear the views of members of your Lordships' House. At the present moment the Unemployment Insurance Bill is passing through the other House. It is a measure on which everyone is agreed, and all Parties in the other House are endeavouring to pass it as quickly as possible. It has not been completed there yet, but my information is that it will pass through the. other House to-night. The object of the Bill is to fill up what are called "gaps." There are certain periods of unemployment insurance which are not covered by the existing law and the result is that there is a great waste of public money in order to fill up those gaps with various kinds of relief. The Bill proposes merely to fill up those gaps and make unemployment insurance continuous. All Parties are in favour of its passing as soon as possible.
If we read the Bill a first time tomorrow there are two courses which may be taken. The Bill is required by Wednesday of next week. We can either put down a Motion of urgency and suspend the Standing Orders on Thursday of this week, or it will be in time if we suspend the Standing Orders on Tuesday of next week and then take the Bill through all its stages, and the Royal Commission, on that day. I am in the hands of your Lordships as to which course will suit your convenience. If we can be assured of getting the Bill through all its stages on Tuesday next we can put down the necessary Motion to suspend the Standing Orders for that day, but if your Lordships are willing to take it on Thursday of this week that can be done.
§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTONMy Lords, the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack has asked me a question the answer to which is in the hands of the House, because he, as well as noble Lords on this side, desires to 203 consult the convenience of the House. He first suggested that we should read the, Bill a first time to-morrow and that the Standing Orders should be suspended on Thursday in order that all the other stages of the Bill should be taken on that day in order to carry the measure into law. I should have no objection to that course, assuming that the case, for the Bill is as stated by the noble and learned Viscount, except that Earl Beauchamp has an important Motion dealing with the rescission of the Poplar Order on the Order Paper for that day. It comes after the Second Reading of certain Bills, and, obviously, he and these who follow him will desire to occupy a considerable portion of the time of your Lordships' House on what is an important Motion. If the Unemployment Insurance Bill is taken as suggested by the Lord Chancellor, the Standing Orders being suspended, it would take precedence of Earl Beauchamp's Motion. If the noble Earl thinks the discussion on the Bill can be sufficiently compressed so as not to deprive him of the opportunity which he now enjoys I have no objection, but I think his convenience in the matter should be considered. I think it would he better to take the Bill on Thursday if we can do so, rather than on Tuesday of next week. There are at present on the Order Paper a Question and a Motion for that day, and I understand that the Secretary of State for India desires to take advantage of that occasion to make the statement upon India which he had proposed originally to make to-day but which, for reasons of public interest, he has desired to postpone. That again is a matter of capital importance and we should desire to give him every opportunity we can. Subject, therefore, to what Earl Beauchamp may have to say I should be rather disposed to. dealing with the Unemployment Insurance Bill on Thursday next.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORI have a copy of the Bill in my lands at the moment. It is a single clause measure. There is one single question involved, and it is not ore on which I apprehend there would be a great deal of discussion. It ought not to take a long time.
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble and learned 204 Viscount and to the noble Marquess for their references to my Motion. Important matters are connected with the Motion I have on the Order Paper for Thursday and there are difficult legal questions about the rescission of the Poplar Order on which I hope more than one noble and learned Lord in this House will give us their opinion. We want all the help we can get, and I should prefer that the Unemployment Insurance Bill should stand over until next week. If that is a generally acceptable course it would be the best thing to do. We all regret that the Secretary of State for India was unable to make his statement to-day but it might be possible for him to make it to-morrow. If it is postponed until Tuesday of next week then it would have to come after the Unemployment Insurance Bill had been disposed of.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (LORD OLIVIER)My Lords, there are matters already on the Order Paper for to-morrow, and in view of the important decision taken by the National Assembly yesterday I think I should like to consult members of the Government before making my statement. It would be more convenient for me to make it next Tuesday.
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPWould it not be possible to take the Unemployment Insurance Bill—if it is only a very short measure—after the debate on Poplar on Thursday night?
§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTONMy Lords, I gather from what the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack has just told me that the Unemployment Insurance Bill will take but a very small measure of our time, probably not more than a few moments. Therefore the noble Earl will not be in the least retarded from making his Motion on Thursday nor will its importance be in the least minimised. It will merely mean that the moment when he makes his Motion will be postponed by five minutes, ten minutes, a quarter of an hour, or whatever the period may be. I think, therefore, that the general convenience will, on the whole, be best consulted by taking the Bill upon Thursday and asking the noble Earl then to proceed with his Motion.
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPI am quite agree able to that in the circumstances. I must confess that I understood it was going to be a much longer business. If the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack assures me that his speech on this occasion will not exceed the limits which have been mentioned by the noble Marquees I have no objection to make.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORI give my noble friend that promise. I think a Notice of Motion should be given for Thursday to give the Unemployment 206 Insurance Bill precedence and to suspend the Standing Orders in order that it may go through all its stages.