§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY)My Lords, I desire to consult your Lordships as to the next stage of the Rating and Valuation Bill. I understand there are several Amendments which will be moved upon the Report stage, and therefore it would be probably convenient for the House to have an interval between this stage to-day and the Report stage. That would lead me to the conclusion that it would be convenient to take the Report stage upon Wednesday, but in that event, if Parliament is to be prorogued on Friday, as our Amendments on this Bill will have to go to the Commons, it will be necessary to finish the Bill
§ meeting of my own county council on Saturday and I heard there that the rating authorities are very anxious for the deletion of this paragraph. Therefore I ask the noble Viscount to meet me on this particular point.
§ On Question, Whether paragraph (b) shall stand part of the Schedule?
§ Their Lordships divided:—Contents, 39; Not-Contents, 12.
1453| CONTENTS. | ||
| Canterbury, L. Abp. | Malmesbury, E. | Younger of Leckie, V. |
| Mar and Kellie, E. | ||
| Hailsham, L. (L. Chancellor.) | Morton, E. | Avebury, L. |
| Onslow, E. | Biddulph, L. | |
| Salisbury, M. (L. Privy Seal.) | Plymouth, E. [Teller.] | Cushendun, L. |
| Sandwich, E. | Darling, L. | |
| Stanhope, E. | Desborough, L. | |
| Wellington, D. | Stradbroke, E. | Fairfax of Cameron, L. |
| Faringdon, L. | ||
| Bath, M. | Chaplin, V. | Gage, L. (V. Gage.) |
| Winchester, M. | Elibank, V. | Hanworth, L. |
| Hutchinson, V. (E. Donoughmore.) | Hunsdon of Hunsdon, L. | |
| Ancaster, E. | Jessel, L. | |
| Cranbrook, E. | Novar, V. | Kintore, L. (E. Kintore.) |
| Iddesleigh, E. | Peel, V. | Lawrence, L. |
| Lucan, E. [Teller.] | Ullswater, V. | Wraxall, L. |
| NOT-CONTENTS. | ||
| Beauchamp, E. | Arnold, L. | Hampton, L. |
| Russell, E. | Forester, L. [Teller.] | Parmoor, L. |
| Gainford, L. | Stanmore, L. | |
| Bertie of Thame, V. | Greenway, L. | Strachie, L. [Teller.] |
| Thomson, L. |
§ in all its stages on Wednesday—not merely the Report stage but other stages. If your Lordships wish the Government to postpone the Report stage till Wednesday, I hope the House will allow me to suspend the Standing Orders and take the Third Reading the same night.
§ LORD PARMOORMy Lords, I think that is quite reasonable. I do not know that Wednesday would be particularly convenient, but if it is the most convenient day does it mean that the Motion standing in my name on Wednesday will be displaced? That Motion is not likely to take a long time.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, as to the Motion of the noble Lord being displaced he knows that under an Order already passed by the House Government business has precedence every night.
§ LORD PARMOORI thought it only had precedence if the Government desired it.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYI am afraid I could not make an exception; that would not be right. At this stage of the Session I appeal to your Lordships to think what happens in the House of Commons. Usually long before this date the Government have taken the whole time of the House and I have only ventured on this occasion to ask your Lordships to have the whole time of the last week of the Session.
§ LORD PARMOORI understand what the noble Marquess says, but there is nothing so far as I know on the Paper for to-morrow.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYThere is the Second Reading of the Finance Bill to-morrow.
§ LORD PARMOORWithout displacing any Bill in any way would the noble Marquess assent to my Motion being advanced to to-morrow and to take its chance of coming on after the other business? I am anxious to bring it on and it seems to me that to-morrow I should probably have the opportunity. I would desire to do that, and, if the noble Marquess would assent to it, it would take away any difficulty.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYThe noble and learned Lord must take whatever course he likes. He will have to put a Motion down to anticipate, which is usually agreed to, but that of course is for him to decide. I can only manage the Government side of the business, and I am afraid I cannot alter what I have said with respect to the Government business.
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPMy Lords, may I make a suggestion which I hope will be equally agreeable to both sides? It is this. While the noble Lord's Motion should remain as it is on the Paper for Wednesday, is it too much to take to-morrow the Report stage of the Bill which we have just been discussing? I should have no objection to the noble Marquess taking it to-morrow. Perhaps he would allow me to make yet another suggestion, which may be of some assistance, that is, to put down a general Motion suspending Standing Order No. XXXIX for the remainder of the Session. It has been common in the past to do that ten days, or even more, before the end of the Session. The noble 1456 Marquess has not done it on this occasion, but I am quite sure if the Rating Bill be taken to-morrow we might get that out of the way and leave room for the noble and learned Lord's Motion.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, the noble Earl is a master of procedure in your Lordships' House. I understand the significance of his suggestion to suspend Standing Order No. XXXIX. I wish I had asked the noble Earl earlier and very likely the Government would have availed themselves of that concession. As to taking the Report stage of this Bill to-morrow the difficulty is that certain Amendments have to be framed and Notice has to be given of them, and, as responsible for the order of your Lordships' House in a rather prominent degree, I could not ask your Lordships to hurry that particular stage more than is absolutely necessary. I believe, as a matter of fact, that one of the noble Earl's political friends who sits next him expects the Bill to be taken on Wednesday and has a very important matter which he wishes to raise. In the circumstances I think we had better adhere to the arrangement I have suggested—to take the Report stage on Wednesday and the Third Reading immediately afterwards.
§ LORD PARMOORI regret that the noble Marquess has not assented to the suggestion made by the noble Earl. I think he said in the first instance that that Report could be taken to-morrow. There is no difficulty. All the points are known. Surely that would be a fair way of dealing with the business.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYI really do not think it is reasonable for the noble Lord to press me. I do my best to arrange the business to meet the convenience of everybody.
§ LORD PARMOORI quite agree with that.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYLord Gainford is very much interested in the Bill, and he is not here now.
§ LORD PARMOORHe will not be here on Wednesday.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYHe has arranged with me that it will be convenient, as far as he is concerned, that the Bill should be taken on Wednesday. 1457 May I say that if the noble Lord wishes to question the Government, as he is quite entitled to do, on foreign affairs, he will have every opportunity on Thursday? The day will be almost at his disposal as far as I can tell.
EARL RUSSELLDid not the noble Marquess say that it was proposed to take the Committee stage of the Companies Bill on Wednesday? Would he propose to take that before or after the Report stage of this Bill?
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYI think it would have to come after the Report stage of this Bill. It will be put down after.
§ LORD PARMOORI do not wish to keep up the discussion, but I must say I think it rather monstrous at this stage to put down for Wednesday what ought to be discussed to-morrow, in order to displace a very important matter indeed.