§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (EARL PEEL)My Lords, I beg to move, That Standing Order No. XXXIX be considered in order to its being suspended for the remainder of the Session. In doing so I should like to give your Lordships some idea of the measures which it is proposed to pass into law during the remainder of the Session. There are the Foodstuffs (Prevention of Exploitation) Bill, the Sunday Performances (Temporary Regulation) Bill, and the Consolidated Fund (No. 2) Bill; and I understand that, in addition, there may be a Resolution to carry over the London Passenger Transport Bill until the next Session of Parliament. I understand it is unlikely that the Foodstuffs Bill will pass through all its stages in another place before dinner this evening, and that the Sunday Performances Bill is not likely to receive its Third Reading until very late this evening. In these circumstances it seems hardly worth while to ask your Lordships to remain sitting indefinitely in order that those measures should receive a formal First Reading to-day. On the other hand, it is essential, in the view of the Government, that they should pass through all their stages by to-morrow afternoon, and I am therefore asking your Lordships if you will assent as an exceptional measure to a proposal to take all stages of these two Bills to-morrow.
For this purpose I propose that the House should meet, if your Lordships should so desire, at noon to-morrow, and that the Foodstuffs Bill should be taken as the first Order; then, either with or without adjournment, that we should consider the Sunday Performances Bill, and, if possible, complete our consideration of this by the time that we receive the Consolidated Fund Bill from another place, which, in the ordinary course, would be about 3.30 p.m.; and that the Royal Commission should follow immediately after. I hope that, in the 267 exceptional circumstances, this procedure will commend itself to your Lordships, and I need hardly remind you that an announcement was made by the Prime Minister in another place that the present Session will be terminated by prorogation to-morrow.
§ Moved, That Standing Order No. XXXIX be considered in order to its being suspended for the remainder of the Session.—(Earl Peel.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to, and ordered accordingly.
§ CENTRAL ELECTRICITY BOARD (MIDDLESEX LANDS) ORDER, 1931.
§ MID-CHESHIRE ELECTRICITY (EXTENSION) ORDER, 1931.
§ HAYDOCK AND RIXTON-WITH GLAZEBROOK ELECTRICITY ORDER, 1931.
§ ALDERSHOT DISTRICT ELEC TRICITY (MIDHURST TRANSFER, ETC.) ORDER, 1931.
§ LANCASTER ORDER, 1916, MODIFICATION ORDER, 1931.
§ MORECAMBE CORPORATION ACT, 1918, MODIFICATION ORDER, 1931.
§ THE EARL OF LUCANMy Lords, I beg to move, That the Special Orders, as reported from the Special Orders Committee yesterday, be approved.
§ Moved, That the Special Orders, as reported from the Special Orders Committee yesterday, be approved.—(The Earl of Lucan.)
§ Question, Motion agreed to.