STANDING ORDERS OF THE HOUSE (Hansard, 22 July 1953)

THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF DROGHEDA)

My Lords, your Lordships will remember that just over a year ago a Select Committee was 746 appointed by the House to consider the Standing Orders. Only on two occasions during the last 100 years or so have our Standing Orders been examined, and then, I think, not very exhaustively. The first occasion was in 1848, and the last one was in 1889. I have the honour now to present the Committee's Report which your Lordships may have in your hands. Your Lordships will see that we have rearranged and revised the Standing Orders. We have tried to put most of them into modern language and in accordance with modern procedure, but we felt that some of the Orders were so aptly worded—for instance, the Order about "asperity of speech"—that we thought it would be a great mistake to try and modernise them. Other Orders have been placed in Appendix I of the Report, because while they are no longer applicable, their wording and their content are of particular interest, and the Committee felt that the House would wish them to remain on record. Certain new Standing Orders have been made, too, particularly in regard to admission to the House and the arrangement of business.

For the convenience of the House, the Standing Orders, as revised and rearranged, are set out in the Report on the left hand page, with notes showing in general terms the alterations made, and the existing Standing Orders to which they relate are printed on the opposite page. I will not suggest that this Report should be taken into consideration by the House now, because obviously your Lordships will wish to look at these Orders, which are only in draft for the approval of the House, and it will take some time to do so. I should like to suggest that the consideration of this Report should be postponed until after the Summer Recess, and I beg to move accordingly.

§ EARL JOWITT

My Lords, I think that is a wise course to adopt. So far as I can see—I have had only a short time to read through these Orders—the Select Committee have done very useful work indeed. Our thanks are due to the noble Earl, the Chairman of Committees, and his associates for what they have done. 747 On the other hand, we have had no time whatever to consider them, and the amendments are certainly of interest and may be of some importance. For instance, our servants and followers will no longer be free from arrest. All these matters must be carefully considered, and I think that we shall be in a better position to apply ourselves to these intricate and difficult questions after the vacation. Therefore, I entirely agree with the course which the noble Earl suggests.