BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE (Hansard, 1 August 1956)

THE EARL OF HOME
My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend the Leader of the House, I beg to move that Standing Order No. 41 (No two stages of a Bill to be taken on one day) be considered in order to its being suspended until the House adjourns for the Recess.

§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH
My Lords, it is usual for the Government to have to introduce some kind of Motion like this at the end of a Session, if there is pressure of Business, but I am bound to say that we feel that we must make a strong official protest. I am not against the general provisions of the Motion, but I would comment on the particular measures which may be included in it. To-day I particularly want to refer to the Overseas Resources Development Bill. I have, with my colleagues, given ready assent that, because of the situation, the Bill should, if necessary, pass through all its stages 524 to-day; and I want to make it clear that I do not attach any blame to the Ministers in this House for the particular circumstances that have arisen. But I do say that the Government as a whole are very much at fault in their method of dealing with this matter.
This is a very important Bill, and I agree it is essential that the work already contracted for and planned should be put into operation at the first possible moment. But instead of having just a short Bill, which would give the necessary indemnity in case any previous action has been out of order, we have a Bill in which other matters are included. In order to make quite sure that those who are being legislated for overseas, and whom we on this side of the House particularly want to help, should not be held up by the Bill going over to another Session, we have on this occasion given way. But this precludes any opportunity of making any Amendments that we might desire to make. That is a most unfortunate position.
When I consider that the Government did not introduce this important measure in another place until last week, and that we have to deal with it to-day, the day before we adjourn for the Summer Recess, I think that is very blameworthy. I should imagine that it would have been quite possible for the Government to arrange for the Bill to be introduced into another place months ago—or if necessary, it could have been introduced in your Lordships' House. So I say to the noble Earl, the Deputy Leader of the House, that, while we shall willingly concede the passage of the Bill in one day here, for the reasons I have stated I do beg that he will make strong representations to the Government channels dealing with this question of legislation as a whole so that this sort of situation does not arise again.

THE EARL OF HOME>
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Viscount for saying that he will facilitate the passage of the Bill, because I think that on all sides of the House we are agreed that it is urgent that these provisions should be approved to help the Colonial Development Corporation. Although what the Bill does is simple, it has been a somewhat complicated Bill in the negotiations which have had to take place before it could be drafted in its final form—negotiations with the Colonial Development Corporation, for instance—and it was not 525 introduced in another place until rather late in the Session, when Business there was heavily congested. I would not contest what the noble Viscount is saying: that in recent years it has happened rather too often that your Lordships' House has been faced with a number of Bills, on which debate could properly take place, at a very late date, and we have had to push them through became they have been crowded upon us. It may be that more Bills of this kind could be initiated in your Lordships' House, and that might ease matters. I will consult with my noble friend the Leader of the House and with my colleagues to see whether, in future Sessions, things can be made easier.