LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL (IMPROVEMENTS) BILL. [H.L.] (Hansard, 22 June 1939)

THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF ONSLOW)

My Lords, I beg to move that Standing Order No. 171 be considered in order to its being dispensed with in respect of the London County Council (Improvements) Bill, and that the Bill be now read a third time. I do not very much like making this recommendation to your Lordships, and only would make it in a very special case. This Bill deals with the new roadway in the Strand which makes a roundabout near the Old Lyceum Theatre. It is natural that a complicated Bill, with a certain amount of opposition, should take a long time to settle and therefore it was a late Bill. Bills in your Lordships' House have to wait three days, if amended—and this is an amended Bill—after they are returned from the Unopposed Committee before they are read a third time. The reason for that is that they may be deposited in the Government Departments concerned, so that everybody should have an opportunity of considering Amendments if 652 thought proper. This Bill came before me in the Unopposed Committee on Tuesday last. If it is not read a third time to-day it would have to wait until next Tuesday, and according to the timetable given to me by the agents it only gives them until July 27 to get it through another place. If it is amended there, and has to come back here, they might lose their Bill. It is less than twenty-four hours from the time provided by the Standing Order, and I agreed to inform the Government Departments of the proposal which I was going to submit to your Lordships, so that if they had anything to raise they would be able to do it. I think it would be unfortunate if this became a common practice, but it seems to me to be a very exceptional case, and the agents are doing all they can to facilitate any Government Department which wishes to raise objection. I beg to move.