§ VISCOUNT HALDANECan the noble Marquess the Leader of the House tell us if he has any statement to make with regard to a Bill which is coming up from the Commons?
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY)My Lords, I understand through the usual channels of information that the Safeguarding of Industries (Customs Duties) Bill will reach your Lordships some time in the course of this evening. Should it appear later in the afternoon that we may expect it before dinner, then I think probably your Lordships would wish, even if the House has finished its business, that a skeleton House should be kept in order to read it a first time. I should then suggest that you should take the Second Reading to-morrow. The Bill is a certified Money Bill, and in those circumstances it would probably not be the wish of your Lordships to amend it. In that case there does not seem any reason why further proceedings on the Bill should be delayed, and if the noble and learned Viscount took that view, I should propose to put down a Motion at the beginning of business to-morrow, enabling us to take the Safeguarding of Industries Bill through all its stages to-morrow. Otherwise it would be necessary that there should be a sitting of the House on Friday for the remaining stages of the Bill, or one of them. If that were the view of the noble and learned Viscount, we should put that Motion on the Paper to-morrow at the beginning of business, and there would be no business on Friday. There is another little 1502 Bill, a Land Settlement Bill, which is in exactly the same position as the Safeguarding of Industries Bill, except that it is a very minor, instead of a very important, Bill.
§ VISCOUNT HALDANEIs it a Money Bill?
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYIt is a Money Bill, certified in exactly the same way. I propose to treat that Bill in the same way and make the Motion with respect to the Standing Orders apply to the Land Settlement Bill as well as to the Safeguarding of Industries Bill. In any case steps have been taken so that the two Bills should be circulated the first thing to-morrow morning. Supposing that the Bill did not reach the Lords in sufficient time to read the Bill a first time to-night, it, would, in any case, be circulated to-morrow, and we could then take the First Reading with the other Readings to-morrow. I do not think there is any other business. There is the Education (Scotland) Bill, but I really do not think it is fair to ask your Lordships to deal with that at this late period of the Session, and I should propose not to proceed with it.
§ VISCOUNT HALDANEMy Lords, having regard to the period of the Session, we shall not offer any objection to the course which the noble Marquess has proposed.
§ LORD PARMOORMy Lords, you will notice that I have put down a Question on the Paper tomorrow with regard to the League of Nations. As the Safeguarding Bill will probably take up all to-morrow's sitting, is there likely to be any chance of raising that Question later?
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I have been making inquiries as to what will be possible. I am afraid that the noble Lord will find it very difficult to find time to discuss the League of Nations Question after the debate on the Safeguarding of Industries Bill. Of course, it does not lie in my hands, it depends upon your Lordships, but I have been informed that several noble Lords of great influence in your Lordships' House intend to take part in the debate on the Safeguarding of Industries Bill and no doubt other noble Lords as well would desire to speak. The result would 1503 be to defer the debate on the League of Nations until very late in the evening. There is no other opportunity I am afraid which would serve the noble Lord, unless we had a sitting specially for him on Friday. If he very much wished it, that could be done. There is Monday, but on Monday there are already two Questions on the Paper and the noble Lord would find it a little difficult, perhaps, to find time then, if those were disposed of, to deal with his important subject. But I think I ought to add that I hardly think—although that is a matter really for the noble Lord—that the very recent proceedings of the League of Nations could be usefully discussed so soon. I think I am accurate in saying that the proceedings of the Council are actually not at an end yet and in these circumstances I am not sure whether the noble Lord would find it very remunerative to proceed any further with this Question. But that is for him, not for me.
§ LORD PARMOOROf course, there is no use in proceeding further with the Question unless information can be given. At any rate, I shall not attempt to bring it on to-morrow.