BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 1 September 1939)

§ EARL STANHOPE
My Lords, I beg to move that Standing Order No. LIV be now read.

§ EARL STANHOPE
My Lords, I beg to move that Standing Order No. XXXIX be now read.

§ EARL STANHOPE
My Lords, I beg to move, That it is the opinion of this House that it is essentially necessary for the public security that the Bills this day brought from the House of Commons intituled Consolidated Fund Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, Currency (Defence) Bill, Prize Bill, Government of India Act (Amendment) Bill, Courts (Emergency Powers) Bill, should forthwith be proceeded in with all possible despatch and that notwithstanding Standing Orders Nos. LIV and XXXIX the Lord Chancellor ought forthwith to put the question upon every stage of the said Bills in which this House shall think it necessary for the public security to proceed therein.

LORD STRABOLGI
My Lords, the times are unusual, and we realise that it is necessary for the Government to arm themselves and the nation with certain extraordinary powers. Therefore by this Motion the noble Earl the Leader of the House is asking us to pass—I suppose rapidly and as soon as possible—all the Bills of which the titles have been read out, which are important. Two of them fortunately have already passed your Lordships' House and ought to pass now without too much discussion. This matter has been considered by the Party for whom I have the honour to speak, and the Government did them the courtesy of passing the Bills to them in draft form, so that at any rate we were treated a little better than the British Ambassador was treated last Wednesday by Herr von Ribbentrop.
I have only to say on behalf of my noble friends that we are prepared to facilitate the passage of these Bills, as was done by our friends in another place, but we do want to make it perfectly clear that as soon as possible and for as long as possible Parliamentary control of legislation at this time should be maintained in as full force as possible. We agree to this, which many pundits would call, outrageous procedure only because of the times and circumstances, and no precedent can be looked upon as having been created for the future. I only want further to say, as my noble friend behind me indicated in his speech this afternoon, that we have to hold fast to the great ideals we stand for. One of those is Parliamentary control and the full meaning 926 of democracy in its highest development as reached in this country. With these remarks I beg leave to express our agreement with the Motion.

§ VISCOUNT SAMUEL
My Lords, I am sure, that the whole House will unanimously agree to the Motion which has been moved, and to facilitate in any way in its power the passage of these necessary Emergency Bills, as the House was willing to do a few days ago when we passed with practically no discussion, the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act. I have had an opportunity of reading these Bills, and I would like to say now with regard to all of them that I think there is no special point which I desire to raise. I do, however, notice one omission in the Bills so far presented, and I would like to ask the Leader of the House a question—namely, whether to-morrow, or on some early day, it is the intention of the Government to submit to Parliament a Bill dealing with insurance for war damage to property. There is a great deal of public interest in this matter, and as such a Bill is not included in the first batch of emergency measures I would like to ask whether it will be forthcoming at an early date.

§ EARL STANHOPE
My Lords, in reply, I am not quite sure whether such a Bill is to be presented in the course of the next few days, but I know that a Bill dealing with the matter is being prepared, but how far it goes I am not fully informed. May I say, so far as the remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Strabolgi, are concerned, that this is not a precedent, because we do not make a practice of going into crises of this kind, as some other countries do. There is also this difference, that these Bills when they become law are always subject to revision by subsequent measures. Your Lordships and another place will have full powers to amend these matters as occasion demands, and make such changes as are found desirable, in the full practice of Parliamentary procedure, and in order to maintain the full liberties not only of Parliament but of this country as a whole.