THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DOMINION AFFAIRS (VISCOUNT CRANBORNE) (Lord Cecil)My Lords, I think it will be for the convenience of your Lordships if I give the House this afternoon such information as is available at this stage regarding an urgent and important measure, the Town and Country Planning Bill, which is at present in progress in another place. From such inquiries as I have made, I gather that there is a distinct possibility that all stages will be completed there by the time that House rises on Friday next. I do net, however, propose that we should summon your Lordships to meet formally on Frio: ay, in order to give the Bill a First Reading, if it should have bean received that day, because the prospects are altogether too indefinite. I am arranging, therefore, if your Lordships agree to this course, that the Bill should be read a first time at a formal sitting en Monday next, either before or after the judicial sitting that day. Arrangements will be made that there shall be no loss of time, and that the Bill shall be in your Lordships hinds on Monday. I propose that the Sec and Reading should take place on Tuesday next, October 24th, and that we should, if necessary, extend the debate to the fallowing day, when we would take it as first Order. I shall be sorry if it be found necessary to take the time of the noble Lords, Lord Teviot and Lord Huntingdon, who have already Notices of Motion on the Paper for Wednesday, but I am sure that they will agree that, in the circumstances, I really have no alternative. This particular Bill is very urgent, and there has already been so much delay in its reaching the Statute Book.
In the event of our concluding the Second Reading stage next week, I propose to take the Committee stage on Tuesday, 31st October, and Wednesday, 594 1st November, if a second day be needed. It will I think be for the general 1944. convenience if I put a Motion on the Paper giving precedence to proceedings on this Bill over all other Notices and Orders, unless the House specially provides otherwise. If the Committee stage is concluded on the 1st November, we shall hope to take Report on Monday, November 6, and Third Reading on the following day, when we shall hope to send the Bill back to another place for the consideration of such Amendments as it may have pleased your Lordships to make in it. I should like to put that provisional programme to the House.
§ LORD ADDISONMy Lords, on behalf of my noble friends, I would say that I consider the provisional programme which the noble Viscount has suggested is as good as he could have put forward at this stage.
§ VISCOUNT SAMUELMy Lords, the programme proposed is excellent. As far as the Second Reading is concerned, I do not know whether it will be found necessary to have a two days' debate, but I can promise the noble Viscount that we on these Benches will take up very little time on the Second Reading.