§ 2.5 p.m.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (LORD WOOLTON)My Lords, it is with great regret that your Lordships will have read in the Press this morning the sad news of the death of Lord Onslow, lately Lord Chairman of Committees in your Lordships' House. Others of your Lordships with far longer experience than I can speak of the valuable work which the noble Earl performed in the execution of his very responsible duties as Lord Chairman. He brought to that office not only the legacy of his father's previous tenure, but a long and varied experience of public affairs seen from many angles and from many Departments. He had served in the Foreign Office, and in the Diplomatic Service abroad. From Lord-in-Waiting he had passed successively through the offices of Civil Lord of the Admiralty, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, to the Ministry of Health, to the Board of Education, Under-Secretary of State for War, and Paymaster-General. Moreover, in such spare time as the tenure of these posts allowed him, he had taken a prominent part as Chairman or member of several important Committees and Commissions, the principal of which was the Royal Commission on Local Government of 1923, of which he was the Chairman.
He brought the fruits of all this widely varied experience to the service of your Lordships' House, when he was first appointed Lord Chairman of Committees here in 1931. To this office he was reappointed Session after Session until last year, when in 1944 increasing ill-health compelled his retirement. During the previous two years he had fought with indomitable courage against the recurrent heart trouble to which he has now succumbed. Your Lordships will remember that, even after his resigna- 528 tion, when we had but little hope of ever seeing him in his place here again, he returned for a last brief period of activity, apparently much restored, and spoke to us in several debates with much of his old vigour. And now the long and unequal struggle has ended, and we can but express our personal sorrow and sense of loss at his passing, and our sympathy with his widow and his family.
§ LORD ADDISONMy Lords, I wish with my noble friends to associate myself with what the Leader of the House has said about the noble Earl, Lord Onslow. With many other members of your Lordships' House I have on a great many occasions received most friendly help from him. I knew him mainly as Chairman of Committees. One knows that he had behind him a ripe experience and a wide knowledge of procedure and he was at all times a very valued and helpful adviser, as I am sure many of us found on several occasions. Apart from that, he often brought to our discussions an entirely independent and exceedingly well-informed view. He was especially wide minded and alert when matters of a constitutional character were involved. He had, too, as many of you know, an intimate knowledge of foreign affairs, especially in some countries. In many ways he brought to the service of the House the resources of a full mind which was always at the disposition of those of us who had to consult him, as many of us did privately, on business of the House. I am quite sure that we all wish to join with the noble Lord in his expression of sympathy, and we mourn the loss of a man who was a most disinterested, right-minded, and valued public servant.
§ VISCOUNT SAMUELMy Lords, it was only a little more than a year ago that we expressed our gratitude to Lord Onslow for his long and devoted service as Chairman of Committees of this House during a period of no less than thirteen years. Although he was able to resume some attendance here after his retirement, it was plain, nevertheless, that his health was failing; and now he has left us. He touched life at many points— the Army, the Foreign Office, diplomacy, Government offices; but especially it will be for his service in this House that his name will be remembered. His long public career was marked by a single-minded devotion to duty, and he gave a 529 fine example of the traditions of British public life. To his widow and family we offer our deepest sympathy.
§ THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (LORD STANMORE)My Lords, as Lord Onslow's successor as Chairman of Committees I should like to add my word of regret to those which have already been spoken. During the last fifteen months I have constantly come across instances of the valuable work he did as Lord Chairman and the many reforms which he initiated. His memory will long be treasured by all those connected with his work.