§ 2.35 p.m.
VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLS-BOROUGHMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask the Chairman of Committees when the Report of the Select Committee on the Sheerness Harbour Bill will be submitted to this House.]
THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (LORD MERTHYR)My Lords, the Report from the Select Committee to which the Sheerness Harbour Bill was committed, was, printed in the Minutes of the House for Thursday, June 23, as follows:
That it is not expedient to proceed further with the Bill.
VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLS-BOROUGHMy Lords, as I understand it, therefore, the Bill is dead on the decision of the Select Committee—a Bill which received a Second Reading in this House—after consideration of an Amendment which was subsequently withdrawn. What opportunity has the House of expressing a view on the decision of the Select Committee?
LORD MERTHYRMy Lords, the only course open is for a Member of the House to move that the Bill be recommitted to another Select Committee. That has been done, but it has not been done for a very long time. The House might be interested to know that the last occasions I can find when it was done were in the 1880's. It was done on two occasions then and, as a matter of fact, on both those occasions the Bill was subsequently passed. But as far as I can find, it has not been done in this century. That, my Lords, as far as I can see, is the only course open to a Member of your Lordships' House.
VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLS-BOROUGHMy Lords, may I ask the Leader of the House—I have not given him notice of this question—whether, if one is completely dissatisfied with a decision arrived at, based upon the manner in which the evidence for the Petitioners against the Bill was either not presented or not represented by witnesses, it would be quite in order for a noble Lord to put down a Motion to call attention to it and to debate it?
THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS (THE EARL OF HOME)My Lords, I think it is very important that the House generally should support the decisions of the Select Committees of this House which it appoints. Of course, I cannot myself control the actions of any noble Lord. If any noble Lord feels sufficiently strongly on a matter, then it is certainly open to him to do as the Lord Chairman suggests. I would only say that in the long history of this House it has very seldom been done. But if the noble Viscount, or any other noble Lord, feels that he wants to move that another Select Committee be appointed, then I could not prevent him.