§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR rose to call attention to the Return of Peerages called out of abeyance, made in March, 1923, and to move, That a Committee of this House be set up to inquire into the subject of Peerages in abeyance and report to the House on the matter. The noble and learned Viscount said: My Lords, in the month of March, 1923, my noble friend Lord Askwith moved for a Return of Peerages called out of abeyance, and in doing so called attention to the practice which had arisen more commonly in recent years of calling out Peerages which had been in abeyance for a very long period and sometimes for centuries, and in favour of the holder of a fraction only of the hereditament. That Return was granted, and if your Lordships will look at it you will see that it bears out what was said on that occasion. There is the case of a Peerage which was called out after 547 years, and in another case it was called out in favour of the holder of one-twenty-fourth, or (on one view of the facts) of one thirty-sixth of the title. It was intended at the time that after this Return was obtained your Lordships would be asked to direct some inquiry into the practice. The matter, of course, touches the Royal Prerogative and I am authorised by His Majesty to say that he consents to the constitution of a Committee for the purpose described in my Motion. I am persuaded that the time is ripe for the inquiry suggested and I accordingly move.
629§ Moved, That a Committee of this House be set up to inquire into the subject of Peerages in abeyance and report to the House on the matter.—(The Lord Chancellor.)
§ LORD ASKWITHMy Lords, I moved for this Return in consequence of having made a study of the curiosities of the Peerage. If any of your Lordships will look at the Return you will see that a very remarkable state of affairs has come into existence—that different principles have governed different Prime Ministers during the last one hundred years, and that it is of advantage that the question should be again investigated. It is now, I think, one hundred years or more since Lord Redesdale's Committee reported, and went into many questions affecting abeyance, but the practices which have grown up since have not been inquired into, nor has it been decided whether an Earldom can be called out of abeyance, whether a person having a very small portion of descent can claim as of right, because he has been the claimant for the calling of the Peerage 630 out of abeyance in his favour, of whether a larger portion of descent ought to be a condition to his obtaining the Peerage. I aril glad to hear from the noble and learned Viscount that he has received His Majesty's approval, because undoubtedly it is a matter which touches the Royal Prerogative.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to, and ordered accordingly.