§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ LORD MERRIVALEMy Lords, this Bill passed through your Lordships' House and went down to the other House last year, and was accepted there, and I believe the substance is embodied in a Bill which the Lord Chancellor has introduced. I put this Bill down now in order to make sure that I am right in that supposition. Perhaps the noble and learned Viscount will inform me.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(Lord Merrivale).
§ LORD CHANCELLOR (VISCOUNT SANKEY)My Lords, the position with regard to the Bill is this. Your Lordships will remember that the noble and learned Lord is quite correct in saying that in November last he introduced a Bill whose object was to give power to hear nullity cases in camera. He is quite right in saying that it passed through all its stages in this House, and was read a second time in the House of Commons, and referred to a Standing Committee. Unfortunately, owing to lack of time, the Bill was not considered in Standing Committee, although' certain clauses had been agreed between the promoters and the Attorney-General in order, if I may say so, to make the Bill quite water-tight. The Bill, therefore, lapsed. Meanwhile, 743 there had been introduced in the early part of this Session the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Bill, which contained a clause with the same objects as this Bill, and that Amendment Bill passed through all its stages in this House. It has been read a first time in another place, and I hope it will pass altogether in another place in the course of a few days.
Both this present Bill and the clause in the Bill before the House of Commons are believed to be technically accurate. In those circumstances, as the object of the noble Lord's Bill is one which we all desire to attain, I venture to suggest that the better plan would be to give a Second Reading to the Bill this afternoon, and it may not be found necessary to proceed with the remaining stages in this House, because I hope that the clause in the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Bill will become law in a few days.
§ LORD MERRIVALEMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble and learned Viscount. It was difficult to know precisely what the position was. I am quite 744 content, and of course I shall act upon the noble and learned Viscount's advice. So, having moved the Second Reading, I leave it there.
§ On Question, Bill read 2a.