BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 2 February 1932)

§ LORD MARLEY
My Lords, perhaps the noble Viscount who leads the House will tell us the proposals of the Government for future business?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, so far as I know there is no effective business down for the remainder of this week, and, therefore, if your Lordships approve, I propose to ask you to adjourn till Tuesday in next week. I do not think we have any effective business for that day either, but on Wednesday of next week there is a Motion down in the name of my noble friend Lord Banbury of Southam censuring the Government. My noble friend Lord Banbury is not here to-day, and I have not been able to communicate with him. There are some complications arising from the fact that both my noble friend Lord Londonderry and myself are obliged to be in Geneva next week on public business, attending the Disarmament Conference. It is not quite certain what days we shall have to be there, and therefore it is not quite certain whether we 512 shall be available to answer the Motion of my noble friend Lord Banbury on the Wednesday. I therefore propose to wait till to-morrow or Thursday, when I shall know the position more definitely. We can then communicate with my noble friend Lord Banbury, and make any announcement we could thereafter. For the moment, however, that Motion stands for Wednesday of next week.
Then by Thursday of next week we hope to have one or two not very contentious Bills ready; these would not occupy your Lordships for any great length of time. We are not proposing to put down any Bill of first-class importance, but I am anxious, if we can get the Bills ready, to have one or two ordinary measures submitted to your Lordships. Again we would give notice the moment we have sufficient information. The position, as things are at present, is that there is not any business that I know of till next Tuesday, and for Wednesday, provisionally at any rate, there stands the Vote of Censure. On Thursday I hope there will be one or two minor Government Bills, which will get a First Reading on Tuesday next and be down for Second Reading debate on Thursday.

§ LORD MARLEY
In those circumstances I presume the House would not be called upon to sit at all till Tuesday in next week?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
I was thinking of having a formal adjournment till next Tuesday. In case anything should arise then Notice would be given through the ordinary channels; otherwise, it would be merely a formal sitting. The House is sitting judicially then, and, therefore, no extra expense or trouble will be caused and it would not be necessary for any of your Lordships to attend. We would arrange to have a formal House and adjourn till the next day. I now move that this House do adjourn till Tuesday next.