THE EARL OF ONSLOWMy Lords, in moving the adjournment of the House I wish to say that, subject to the possibility of further Proclamations calling 536 your Lordships' House together under the Emergency Powers Act, the next meeting of your Lordships' House for ordinary business will be on November 9.
§ Moved, That the House do now adjourn.—(The Earl of Onslow.)
§ LORD ARNOLDMy Lords, on this Motion I desire to say one word in support of the protest made by my noble friend behind me against the action of the Government in confining the sitting of your Lordships' House to the one day. In spite of what the noble and learned Lord, Lord Buckmaster, said, we feel that it would have been better to have had a general debate to-morrow. The noble and learned Lord has, I think, sufficient knowledge of Parliamentary procedure to know that often it is desirable that an important debate should take place in both Houses simultaneously. The learned Lord Chancellor, in opening the proceedings, used words to the effect that the Government were not aware of any strong desire on the part of the Opposition for a general debate. Later on he said the Government did not know it was the desire of your Lordships' House to sit for two days. So far from that being the case communications have been passing between various noble Lords on this Bench for the last month with regard to this meeting.
In view of the fact that the House of Commons was meeting for two days we certainly thought that your Lordships' House was going to meet for two days and, as far as I was concerned, no other view had any lodgment in my mind. However, we have made our protest. We think it would have been better to have met again to-morrow and had a general discussion simultaneously with that in the House of Commons. Our protest is unavailing, as are all our protests in your Lordships' House, but we have made it and it will be registered in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ House adjourned at a quarter past five o'clock.