VISCOUNT MERSEYMy Lords, in moving the appointment of the Personal Bills Committee, perhaps I may explain to your Lordships that this Committee is familiar to your Lordships under the title of the Estate Bills Committee, and has been appointed each Session since 1941. The Committee will, in future, be called the Personal Bills Committee, as the Order of Reference under the new Standing Orders, which your Lordships have just approved, will be enlarged to include all Personal Bills which are presented to Parliament. Apart from this slight extension of the scope of the Committee, no material alteration is made in the procedure on these Bills. This matter is also referred b in the Report of the Committee Which has just been considered. Your Lordships arc no doubt aware that there are two Fills pending in Parliament which will be referred to this Committee—namely, the Marquess of Abergavenny's Estate Bill and the Rhodes Trust Bill. I am very grateful to the noble Lords who have consented to serve on this Committee to consider these two Bills. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Personal Bills Committee be appointed, to which all Petitions for Personal Bills, presented during the present Session, which have been certified as such under the provisions of Standing Order 3 relating to Private Bills, shall stand referred; and that the Lords following, with the Chairman of Committees, be named of the Committee:
- E. Drogheda,
- V. Hutchinson (E. Donoughmore),
- V. Hailsham,
- L. Simonds
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.