§ LORD ASKWITHMy Lords, I beg to put the Question of which I have given notice—[to ask His Majesty's Government whether they will arrange as soon as the Local Government Bill has passed the Report stage in the House of Commons to have the Explanatory Memorandum on the Provisions of the Bill (Command Paper 3220 of 1928) brought up to date and issued as a Parliamentary Paper, showing the alterations made in the Bill since it was introduced in the House of Commons, so that the information may be available, if possible, before the Bill is introduced in this House; and whether the Financial Memorandum prefixed to the Bill as introduced in the House of Commons will be similarly revised and made available in such a form as to show the modifications made in the financial proposals of the Bill].
THE PAYMASTER-GENERAL (THE EARL OF ONSLOW)My Lords, I think I can give my noble friend a favourable 860 answer. We propose to produce a White Paper, after the Bill has passed through all its stages in another place and is ready to come to your Lordships' House, showing exactly the effect that it will have in its amended form. I will not go into the exact form that the document will take, but I think it will be one Memorandum rather than two, as the noble Lord, I think, contemplated. It will be a continuation of Command Paper 3220 of 1928, and, as the noble Lord will remember, a Financial Memorandum was attached to the Bill as introduced. I am not quite certain, but I imagine that the new White Paper will take this form.
§ LORD ASKWITHMy Lords, I think that the two Memoranda were circulated in different Papers. I am obliged to my noble friend for his answer. I assume that the Memoranda issued to the House of Commons on the original Bill satisfied that House. I have not seen any complaint of them, and the idea that was in my mind was that they should be altered so as to embody the changes made in the Bill in such a manner as to prevent any member of your Lordships' House being in a complete fog as to the effect of the amended clauses of the Bill. After the Bill has passed its final stage in the House of Commons, I trust that the Memorandum will be in your Lordships' hands as early as possible before the Bill comes up for Second Reading.
THE EARL OF ONSLOWIt must wait, of course, until the Bill receives its final form in the Commons, but I assure the noble Lord that it will be presented as soon as possible afterwards.