§ 4.5 P.m.
§ LORD AMMONMy Lords, the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack has kindly informed me that, owing to the heavy demands on the time of the judicial Committee of the Privy Council, after the present week there will be no judicial sittings of your Lordships' House, in the afternoon at any rate, until after the Whitsuntide recess, and that till then, therefore, the Chamber will be available at 2.30 p.m. for the sittings of the House for public business on Mondays and Thursdays, in the same way as it now is on Tuesday and Wednesday. I felt sure that your Lordships would be glad to take this opportunity of earlier sittings on these days, and I am arranging, therefore, with the agreement of the usual channels, that between now and the Whit-sun recess all sittings of your Lordships' House for public business shall begin at 2.30 in the afternoon unless special notice to the contrary is given.
I should add that we do not propose to sit next Monday, May 5, but that we shall be sitting on the following Monday, May 12, when we shall hope to take the Committee stage of the National Health Service (Scotland) Bill whose Second Reading we are debating to-day. Will noble Lords from Scotland, in particular, please make special note, therefore, that the business that afternoon will begin at 2.30 p.m. and not at the usual Monday hour of 4 o'clock?