THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF DONOUGHMORE)My Lords, the Motion which standsin my name upon the Paper is in principle, though not in actual wording, the same Resolution as your Lordships passed last year. Your Lordships will remember that we then initiated a new procedure by which promoters of Private Bills might be encouraged to go in for pure consolidation and nothing else, and your Lordships authorised a system designed to work to that end. It worked most successfully. A Bill in which we were interested last year, thanks largely to the work of my noble friend and his colleagues on the Joint Committee, received the Royal Assent, and I think a very useful piece of legislation was achieved. Another Bill is due this year under similar circumstances, and I hope that we shall have the same happy result. I therefore beg to move the Motion that stands in my name.
§ Moved to resolve:—
§ That it is desirable that in the present Session all Private Bills for the exclusive purpose of consolidating the provisions of existing Private Acts of Parliament be referred to a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament:
§ That the Joint Committee shall not take into consideration any Petition against 316 any such Bill if the Petitioners seek to alter the existing law.—(The Earl of Donoughmore.)
§ LORD MUIR MACKENZIEMy Lords, having had a great deal to do with the passage of Consolidation Bills through your Lordships' House, I should like to say that I entirely agree with my noble friend as to the desirability of setting up a similar procedure for Private Bills.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ Ordered, That a Message be sent to the Commons to communicate this Resolution, and to desire their concurrence.