§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, as the House knows, it is not the practice to make statements on future Business, but I think that it would be for the convenience of the House on this occasion if I informed your Lordships of the arrangements proposed to deal with the Rent Bill. It had been arranged to take the Second Reading of this Bill on July 8, but unfortunately, due to the progress of the Bill in another place, it is not expected that it will receive a Third Reading there until July 5.
As the House knows, Parliamentary time, as is often the case at this stage of the Session, is short. The Government are most anxious to give adequate time between the Second Reading and the 1015 Committee stage of this Bill. I therefore propose that we continue with the arrangement for the Second Reading of this Bill in this House on July 8, and steps will be taken to see that the Bill, as amended in another place on Report, will be circulated by the week-end to all Peers who normally receive Bills and Amendments. It will also be available in this form in the Printed Paper Office. If we take the Committee stage of the Bill on July 19 this arrangement will ensure adequate time between Second Reading and the Committee. Perhaps I may take this opportunity of expressing the Government's appreciation to the usual channels for their help and understanding in arranging Business at this particularly difficult time.
May I also inform the House that at a suitable moment after 3.30 p.m. there will be two Statements. I shall be making a statement on the German off-set agreement and my noble friend Lord Stonham will be making a statement on coal policy.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, with regard to the first part of the Chief Whip's statement on Business, he ended rather disarmingly, and though I am not a "usual channel" I would say, on behalf of my noble friend, that I am very grateful to him. But I hope he will not think it churlish if I say that, although of course we agree to this course, it is a thoroughly unsatisfactory situation: to have the First Reading of a Bill on a Monday and the Second Reading on the Thursday is not quite good enough. Nevertheless, those of us who sit on these Benches do not want to be obstructive. We do not want to sit any longer in August than necessary any more than noble Lords opposite do. But the fact is that we are helping the Government out of the appalling muddle they have made of their legislative programme, and I should not like it to be thought by noble Lords opposite either that we like it or that it should be taken as a precedent.
§ LORD WOLVERTONMy Lords, I should like to support my noble Leader. As I understand it, the Rent Bill will not receive its Third Reading in another place until Monday night, and at the moment we have it now only as amended 1016 in Standing Committee F. On the Report stage last night there were further Amendments. I think that it is rushing the House too much to give it about two days. I quite agree with my noble Leader: we ought to have adequate time, at least ten days or a fortnight, between Second Reading and Committee stage. It is extremely short notice on an important Bill like this.
§ LORD SILKINMy Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, will remember that all that he is saying now is what we have repeatedly said in past years at the same time in the Session, and there was quite as good excuse for noble Lords opposite as there is to-day.
LORD REAMy Lords, may I express our appreciation to the Chief Whip for the helpful arrangement indicated. He is leaving a long time between Second Reading and Committee stage—eleven days. Would it not be possible to put the Second Reading later than July 8.
§ LORD CONESFORDMy Lords, before the noble Lord replies, may I say that, while I agree with everything said by my noble Leader, in the opinion of many of us the interval between Second Reading and Committee stage is of very great importance? Many of us think that, given the time available, the noble Lord has made the right allocation in bringing the Second Reading forward and giving us the maximum time thereafter before Committee stage.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, may I say how grateful I am for the remarks made by noble Lords from all quarters? We would not accept that there is a muddle, either here or in another place, in regard to Government business. The present Government have always tried to give adequate time for Members of both Houses to discuss the very important legislation that we have brought before Parliament. We are in a difficulty particularly, I think, due to the fact that this is the first Session of a new Parliament and a new Government, with all the events that flow from that.
I am very conscious of all that the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, has said about having adequate time. But I felt (and this was the reason I made this suggestion) that the particular principle of this Bill is already known to us, and 1017 therefore when the Bill is printed for this House will not have much effect. We can have a useful and, no doubt, penetrating debate on Second Reading, and since the Bill is one that perhaps needs public discussion in considerable detail, it would seem to me right to bring the Second Reading forward and thus give adequate time for the preparation of Amendments, and for discussions between both sides, and among colleagues, as to what we should do and say on Committee stage. I hope that, in these circumstances, the House will agree to this proposal.