HL Deb 10 December 1936 vol 103 cc734-6
LORD SNELL

My Lords, may I ask the noble Viscount the Leader of the House whether he can give us any information about future business?

VISCOUNT HALIFAX

My Lords, I anticipate that I should be rightly interpreting the feelings of your Lordships if I were to suggest that the remainder of the business on the Paper for to-day should be postponed until to-morrow, when I would propose that your Lordships should meet at eleven o'clock in the morning. If that suggestion were approved our business to-morrow would be, first, to take the formal Third Readings of the Scottish Provisional Order Bills which appear on the Paper to-day; then to hold a Royal Commission for the purpose of giving the Royal Assent to the Railway Freight Rebates Bill and the measures which we shall have just read a third time. After that we should propose to proceed with the Second Reading of the Public Order Bill. If the Bill dealing with His Majesty's declaration of Abdication is received from another place before the debate on the Public Order Bill is concluded I would ask your Lordships to allow that debate to be interrupted in order that the Abdication Bill might be taken through all its stages, followed by the Royal Commission. We should propose to take the Third Reading of the Geneva Convention Bill at some convenient period in our proceedings to-morrow, as also the Second Reading of the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill. I would propose that we should regard the Second Reading of this last measure as a purely formal stage, and take the discussion on the Special Areas and any other points that may arise on the Bill upon the Committee stage of the measure which will be appointed for Tuesday next. I have the agreement of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Winchester, and of both the noble Lords, Lord Davies and Lord Mansfield, all of whom had Motions upon the subject on the Paper at one time, in this course.

LORD SNELL

Can the noble Viscount tell us whether any provision has been made as to the time when the new Oath will be taken?

VISCOUNT HALIFAX

My Lords, if the time-table contemplated is adhered to, it would be proposed that the House should meet for taking the Oath at 2.45 on Saturday afternoon, and also, I think, on the mornings of the early days of next week. If the suggestion that I have made as to the postponement of the rest of to-day's business is generally acceptable, I will move that the House do now adjourn.

Moved accordingly, and, on Question, Motion agreed to.

House adjourned at half past four o'clock.