THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE MARQUESS OF SALISLURY)My Lords, perhaps you will allow me to make an explanation and also an apology to your Lordships. I had hoped that it would have been possible to have taken the Criminal Justice Bill to-morrow but, contrary to expectation—at least to my expectation—that Bill did not get through another place on Monday and has not got through yet. Therefore that part of our programme has become impossible. Your Lordships have just given a First Reading to the Public Health (Scotland) Amendment Bill, which will be available for discussion to -morrow, and I propose that the arrangement which has been made shall be maintained so far as that Bill is concerned.
There is some hope, though it is not very great, that the Tithe Bill will pass the House of Commons in the course of tomorrow's sitting. In that event and considering how short a time we have available, I should wish to give a First Reading to that Bill as early as possible and I would ask the House to have a formal sitting on Friday in order to receive the Tithe Bill. That would enable the Government to maintain the programme I had foreshadowed and to ask your Lordships to read the Tithe Bill a second time on Thursday of next week, thus giving almost a week's interval 811 between its introduction and the Second Reading. Should the Tithe Bill pass the House of Commons to-morrow, therefore, I shall ask your Lordships to have a formal sitting on Friday. Should it not pass the House of Commons then there will be no sitting of your Lordships' House on Friday.
Tuesday of next week is allotted to a debate on Locarno, on Wednesday a debate is to be raised by the noble Lord, Lord Parmoor, on the subject of the League of Nations, and on Thursday—on the assumption I have just made—there will be the Tithe Bill. If that does not pass the House of Commons to-morrow then some other arrangement will have to be made, but your Lordships must, I think, have sufficient notice of that Bill. There is also the Expiring Laws Bill, for which I have not allocated a day it can be put in almost anywhere because I do not think it is likely in your Lordships' House to lead to any long discussion. The noble and learned Lord, Lord Carson, informs me that he is not able to bring on the Moneylenders Bill as soon as he had hoped to do because the Government Amendments are not ready. That is not his fault—perhaps, vicariously, it is my fault—but he will have to determine on what day he will take that Bill in consequence of the 812 delay. There remains the Criminal Justice Bill. It is hoped that this will get through the House of Commons by Friday of this week, but I must confer with the Lord Chancellor before I assign a day for that measure.
§ VISCOUNT HALDANEMy Lords, may I ask what business we have on Thursday, that is to-morrow, besides the Public Health (Scotland) Amendment Bill?
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYThe only other business is a Question by the noble Marquess, Lord Lincolnshire.
§ VISCOUNT HALDANEIt is obvious that whenever we try to predict the course of business in this House so far as it is dependent on what is to happen in the other place we are building on shifting sands. The event has proved this, but I do not think we can complain of the gallant attempt the noble Marquess has made to predict something for us. We shall get along, but I do not think that we shall have very much business to do between now and about the end of next week.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYThat is so.
§ House adjourned at four o'clock.