§ 4.19 p.m.
§ EARL STANHOPEMy Lords, it might perhaps be for the convenience of your Lordships if I were also to tell your Lordships what is proposed in regard to the proceedings in this House next week on the Military Training Bill and the Reserve and Auxiliary Forces Bill. We propose that there should be a formal sitting next Friday morning to receive the Bills and to give them a First Reading; then that the House should meet on Monday for the Second Reading of both 1051 Bills; and I suggest to your Lordships that we should meet that day at three o'clock and that, if necessary, we should sit after dinner. On Wednesday, which I gather is not a very convenient day for some of your Lordships who have pressing engagements in the south-west of London—particularly the Front Opposition Bench, I am afraid!—we propose to have the Committee stage of these two Bills. I do not know what your Lordships will feel about that: whether you would rather meet at three o'clock, in which case some noble Lords would hardly be back, or at our usual hour and then go on and sit after dinner, if necessary. It would, of course, depend on the number of Amendments moved and the length of time taken about each of them, but your Lordships might make your views known to my noble friend the Earl of Lucan in regard to the hour of meeting.
Then on Thursday I propose that we should take the Report and Third Reading of both those Bills. If your Lordships make Amendments to them, of course it will be necessary that both Bills, or whichever you make Amendments to, should go back to another place to be considered there again, in which case the Royal Assent and the Royal Commission will take place on the Friday morning of next week. Of course, if no Amendments were made we could have the Royal Commission on Thursday as soon as we have finished the Report and Third Reading stages. I hope I have made these proposals clear to your Lordships.
§ LORD SNELLWhat about Tuesday?
§ EARL STANHOPETuesday will be a clear day so far as these Bills are concerned. I thought your Lordships would prefer to have one day after the Second Reading in order to consider what Amendments to put down, and then to take them on the Wednesday.
§ EARL STANHOPEThere are two Committee stages of Bills, and the Second Reading of the Charitable Collections (Regulation) Bill. There may possibly be a debate on another subject which a noble Lord opposite may wish to raise—I do not know yet—in which case Tuesday would be the only day on which it could take place. I think it will be neces- 1052 sary to move that Government business take precedence on Wednesday and Thursday. At present there is nothing on the Order Paper, but I ought to warn the House that we do propose to put down a Motion to that effect.