§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords, before the House adjourns I should like to tell your Lordships that unfortunately I have only just learned—that is why I have not had the opportunity of communicating with noble Lords opposite—that it will be necessary to ask your Lordships to sit on Monday. I am afraid, also, that it will be necessary to suspend Standing Orders, although I know that is a proceeding which the noble Lord, Lord Ponsonby, criticises. A very remarkable situation has arisen. Some very ingenious lawyer, I am informed, has dis-covered that no President of the Board of Trade can sit in the House of Commons and if he does do so he is disqualified and incurs penalties every time he sits or votes. I think every President of the Board of Trade for a great many years past has always sat in the House of Commons and in these days of financial stringency it must be very tempting for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to think how many million pounds must be owing from the gentlemen who have held that office in the past.
Quite obviously, however, that is a state of affairs which requires correction and that necessitates passing a Bill to grant indemnity to those who have incurred penalties and to regularise the position. As debates in which it is very important that the President of the Board of Trade should be in a position to participate will take place early next 135 week I understand from my right hon. friend the Attorney-General that it is proposed to introduce and pass a Bill through all its stages in the House of Commons to-morrow and to ask your Lordships to take a similar course on Monday. In these circumstances, although I do not think it is a matter which will call for very prolonged debate, there seems no alternative but to ask your Lordships to sit on Monday.
§ LORD PONSONBY OF SHULBREDEMay I ask the noble and learned Viscount the Leader of the House to tell us at what hour he proposes we shall sit? Will it be at the usual time?
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMI think if we meet at the usual hour that will be quite satisfactory. It is a matter which I do not think will take very long. It is only for the purpose of passing this one measure that your Lordships are asked to meet.
§ LORD PONSONBY OF SHULBREDEIn the circumstances, which appear to be absolutely unprecedented and which I hardly feel able to grasp fully from what the noble and learned Viscount the Leader of the House has said, it would seem to be absolutely necessary to pass the Bill through all its stages on Monday.
§ House adjourned at five o'clock.