§ LORD MUIR MACKENZIEMy Lords, my noble and learned friend Lord Parmoor, who is not able to be here, has requested me to ask the noble Marquess the Leader of the House whether he has any statement to make to the House as to the future course of business.
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY)My Lords, I am very much obliged to my noble friend for putting this question. May I say how sorry I am that the noble and learned Lord the Leader of the Opposition is detained at home by indisposition. Your Lordships will probably like to be made aware that we expect the English Local Government Bill to reach this House in time to have its First Reading on Tuesday, February 19, and I should propose, with the consent of the House, to take the Second Reading on Monday, February 25, and if—as no doubt would be the case—the debate lasts over two days, on Tuesday, the 26th. But I need not say that I should be only too anxious to study the convenience of the House if those days were not suitable. That would bring us to Tuesday, the 26th, and I should hope then, supposing your Lordships pass the Second Reading, to be in a position to ask your Lordships to consider the Bill in Committee upon Tuesday, March 5, and the following two days, if those be necessary. I am most anxious to name these days, because I 912 am going to ask for the co-operation of your Lordships in all parts of the House to keep those days free for Government business.
Although I hope your Lordships will have full opportunity of considering this Bill, yet, having regard to the exigencies of time, it is apparent that if other noble Lords, in the full exercise of their rights, put down Notices for the days I have named, then it might be very difficult to carry out the Government programme, unless, of course, we proceeded to drastic measures, which, I am sure, your Lordships would wish us to avoid. Therefore, I am going to throw myself upon the consideration of the House and ask your Lordships not to put down Notices for those days that I have named or for any other days which after this afternoon's conversation might be substituted for them. I think that is all I have to say upon the English Bill, because I do not think it is necessary to go further than the Committee stage. In a short time, no doubt, your Lordships would like to know what days are suggested for the remaining stages of that Bill. But it is too early, perhaps, to give them this afternoon. As regards the Scottish Bill, it will probably be sufficient to say at present that we expect to receive it in time to read it a first time on Tuesday, March 12.
EARL RUSSELLMy Lords, the sort of interval which the noble Marquess has named would I think be quite agreeable to us on this Bench. But there is one suggestion I should like to mention to him. We are not very full of business and we are really at a very early stage of the Session. Would the noble Marquess have any objection to taking the Second Reading on Tuesday, the 26th, thus allowing an interval of a full week after the Bill reaches this House? It would be in many ways a more convenient day on which to begin the discussion than the Monday. We all feel that, but we must of course leave it to the noble Marquess.
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPMy Lords, I can promise every assistance from my noble friends in order to keep those days clear for which the noble Marquess has asked. He has been very good, as he knows I have said on previous occasions, in bringing measures to this House so that your Lordships have a proper opportunity of 913 dealing with them. On this occasion I think he has even exceeded what he has done in the past, by bringing up this important Bill at a very early stage for our discussion, and your Lordships' House will be very grateful to him for giving us such a full opportunity of discussing the measure. I am sure we shall all do our very best to keep those days free. Whether we shall want so much time as he has stated I do not know, and it is difficult to say until nearer the occasion. But the noble Marquess has the question very largely in his own hands. If we were to resume our old custom of sitting after dinner we should not occupy nearly so much time as three days for the Committee stage. When I had the honour of being concerned with the disposal of business in your Lordships' House I used to find that the dinner hour had a remarkable effect in shortening discussion, because noble Lords did not always feel that their sapient remarks were sufficiently reported in the Press when they were made after dinner. Therefore many Amendments which otherwise might have been moved never saw the light of day. It really does depend very much upon the noble Marquess himself. If he were inclined to resume our old custom of sitting after dinner I am sure he would find the proceedings considerably shortened.
My only criticism would be by way of reinforcing what was said by the noble Earl and to suggest that we should begin our discussions on the Tuesday rather than the Monday. I do not think there will be a great many speakers in the discussion, but whatever day we end the Second Reading debate, even if it were necessary to go to Thursday, I should have no hesitation in supporting the noble Marquess in beginning the Committee stage on the Tuesday following. Whatever may be the day in the week on which we finish the Second Reading I should certainly support him in the date he suggests for the Committee stage. The interval which he suggests would, I think, in any case be sufficient if we began the debate on Tuesday, the 26th, rather than Monday, the 25th.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I am very much encouraged by the kind reception which my suggestion has received, to proceed upon the lines I have indicated. I have no doubt whatever, 914 after what has fallen from the noble Earl, Lord Russell, and the noble Earl, Lord Beauchamp, that it would be wise to avoid the Monday for the beginning of the Second Reading debate, and in that case your Lordships will perhaps allow me to take the Tuesday and the Wednesday. There were two Orders of the Day down for Wednesday, but I have been informed that they have recently been removed from the Paper and therefore they will not stand in the way. If it might be understood that the Second Reading will be taken on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 26 and 27, that would perhaps meet the occasion. I know that the noble Earl, and I hope other noble Lords sitting in all parts of the House would be willing to take the Committee stage upon Tuesday, March 5, notwithstanding that the Second Reading is postponed one day.
With regard to the question of sitting after dinner, I certainly would be very glad to sit after dinner if noble Lords wished it. It is, perhaps, rather a tactless remark for the Leader of the House to make, but I am not sure that I always want to shorten discussion in the House. If I were a member of another place I should use very different language, but in your Lordships' House discussion is not unduly prolonged, and, for my own part, speaking as a member not of the Government but of your Lordships' House, I am only too delighted when I listen to a debate which is well nourished and well sustained.