HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICES. (Hansard, 23 October 1945)

§ THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (LORD STANMORE)
My Lords, I beg to move that this Report be now considered.

§ LORD STANMORE
My Lords, I beg to move that the Report be agreed to. The Committee report that in their opinion the House should meet for public business at 2.30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and at 4 o'clock on Thursdays, this arrangement to be subject to reconsideration at a later date. This recommendation was adopted at a very full meeting of the Committee. The Committee also agreed to the report of the Sub-Committee on the Reorganization of the Staff of the Parliament Office. The changes proposed in the Report are with a view to bringing the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments into line with Civil Service Departments. I do not think there is anything in the other items of the Report to which I need call particular attention.

§ VISCOUNT ADDISON
My Lords, on this Motion I am sure you would wish me to say a few words about the proposed change in the times of the sitting of the House, but before I do that, I should like to be allowed—I feel sure with your approval—to commit what is perhaps a. somewhat disorderly act by paying tribute to the senior member of that Committee, the noble Marquess, Lord Salisbury, who has helped us for so many years in these matters in this House, by wishing him most sincerely (I am sure on behalf of all of us) the best of health, and by offering him congratulations upon this anniversary.
The question of the times of the sittings of your Lordships' House has given rise to considerable discussion and I have had the opportunity of conferring with the noble Viscount the Leader of 444 the Opposition, with the noble Viscount, Lord Samuel, and with the Chairman of Committees. The matter was referred to as a matter of urgency by the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor in order that, if possible, more time should be made available for the legal sittings of the House. Considerable arrears of work have accumulated and litigants and others have been exposed to increased expense and trouble. We considered this matter and it appeared in course of our examination that the noble and learned Lords of Appeal did not sit on Wednesdays. The explanation of this hiatus in their sittings was not perhaps as evident to some of us as to others. I understand, however, that the Lord Chancellor is likely to arrange, in order to have more time for law sittings, that the noble and learned Lords shall sit on Wednesday mornings. It was clear that, if possible, we should do something to give more time for the legal sittings, and it was accordingly suggested that we should go back, at all events so far as one day in the week was concerned, more or less to the previous time of sitting—that is, that we should sit as now at 2.30 on Tuesday and Wednesday but should not meet until 4 o'clock on Thursday. That would enable the law sittings to be continued until a quarter to four. Accordingly, it is recommended by the Committee, and I commend the suggestion to your Lordships, that we should sit at those hours, at all events for the present.
It was represented to us that owing to still inadequate communications and the fact that many noble Lords live out of town, it might not be possible to get a House if the time of meeting was as late as 4 o'clock, but it was suggested that at all events we should try this alteration in the time of sitting and leave the matter open for review, say, at the end of the present year or early in the new year, when we have had an opportunity of seeing how it works. I hope therefore your Lordships will be willing to make a trial of this new arrangement. Various suggestions have been made, one being that we might meet at 4 o'clock on Tuesday and Wednesday and at 2.30 on Thursday, because some noble Lords might want to go away early on that day. However, that will be a matter which we can consider when we review the matter in the light of a few weeks' experience. For the 445 time being I hope your Lordships will agree to the arrangement proposed by the Committee.

VISCOCNT CRANBORNE
My Lords, I rise to support briefly what the noble Viscount the Leader of the House has said. This has now become an old problem, which has been before us at various intervals throughout the war and now in the post-war period. I do not pretend that I think the proposed arrangement ideal, and I am sure the noble Viscount, Lord Addison, will agree with me on that. I wish that we were able to continue to sit at 2.30 on the three days, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but very strong representations have been made by the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor with regard to the legal work. After all, the House of Lords in its judicial capacity is the final Court of Appeal in this country and therefore we cannot ignore those representations. This proposal will give the noble and learned Lords of Appeal three full days and your Lordships will only lose one and a half hours per week of debating time. I think it is worth trying. I do not think it is certain that it will succeed—there may be bad attendances—but we must do our best to make it succeed. If it is not successful then we can reconsider the matter in the new year. I readily support the noble Viscount the Leader of the House.

§ VISCOUNT SAMUEL
My Lords, the House is faced by a choice of inconveniences, and I think probably the arrangement now proposed is the best choice that can be made in the circumstances. I entirely agree with all which has been said by the noble Viscount, the Leader of the Opposition, and would support the Motion which is now before the House.