STATE OF EMERGENCY (Hansard, 23 May 1966)

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
My Lords, with permission I should like to repeat a Statement which my right honourable friend the Prime Minister has just made in another place, about the Proclamation of a State of Emergency. His words were—and I quote the Prime Minister:
"With permission I should like to make a Statement about the Proclamation of Emergency under Section 1 of the Emergency Powers Act 1920. As the House is aware, that Act, as amended by the Emergency Powers Act 1964, provides that if at any time it appears to Her Majesty that events have occurred or are about to occur of such a nature as to be calculated, by interfering with the supply and distribution of food, water, fuel or light, or with the means of locomotion, to deprive the community, or any substantial part of the community, of the essentials of life, Her Majesty may, by Proclamation, declare that a State of Emergency exists; and Section 2 provides that where a Proclamation of Emergency has been made, Her Majesty may by Order in Council make Regulations for ensuring the essentials of life to the community.
1185 "In advising such action the Government are following the precedents of 1949 and 1955.
"Regulations under section 2 of the Act have been made this morning and are being laid this afternoon. My right honourable friend the Leader of the House will be making a Business statement to-morrow informing the House of the proposed changes in Business which will enable the House"—
that, of course, is the House of Commons—
"both to debate the Government's action in establishing a State of Emergency and, if the House sees fit, to approve the Regulations.
"The House will have an opportunity of studying the Regulations. In addition to dealing with control of port traffic and other aspects of work in the ports, they will deal with certain aspects of internal transport and the maintenance of other public services and essential supplies.
"Perhaps I should inform the House that power is being taken also to make orders prescribing the maximum prices for foodstuffs. This power—and this is true equally of others which are made available under the Regulations—is at this stage a reserve power only, and the Government do not consider that the time has been reached when any action or orders under the Regulations are immediately necessary, and no use will be made of them unless the need arises. It was, however, thought essential that the powers should he taken and Parliament given adequate time to debate them. The Government will not, of course, hesitate to make use of the powers should this become necessary.
"We are proclaiming an emergency because the Government must protect the vital interests of the nation. This is not action against the National Union of Seamen. We want the dispute between the Union and the shipowners to be settled as soon as practicable, and my right honourable friend the Minister of Labour has made clear his willingness to see representatives of both sides whenever it is felt that he can help them to end 1186 this dispute. He has, in fact, been meeting both sides this afternoon.
"As was made clear to the Executive Committee of the National Union of Seamen when my right honourable friend and I met them ten days ago, the Government are well aware that one of the major contributory factors in this situation has been the failure over the years to deal with an out-dated and archaic system of regulation of the terms and conditions of seagoing employment, particularly, of course, the issues raised by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894, But whatever the outcome of the present dispute, it is the Government's intention to arrange for a powerful, thorough and independent inquiry into all the complex issues affecting the terms and conditions of seagoing employment."
My Lords, that concludes the Prime Minister's Statement. I should add that I myself propose to move on Thursday next an humble Address in reply to the gracious Message. This Address will thank the Queen for Her Message, and the Motion will provide an opportunity to explain to this House the Government's action. The Regulations will be debated in this House at the end of Business on Thursday.

§ LORD CARRINGTON
My Lords, I am obliged to the noble Earl the Leader of the House for repeating that Statement. I certainly do not intend to comment on the last part of the Statement, because I do not think that that would be either timely or wise. It is certainly the duty of the Government to decide whether or not a situation has become so serious that a State of Emergency has to be proclaimed, and no doubt we shall hear the reasons when the noble Earl moves the humble Address on Thursday. We shall also have an opportunity then, no doubt, as he has said, of discussing each of these Regulations. May I ask him whether there are a great many of these Regulations? Because there is a lot of business on Thursday, and if we are going to debate each of these Regulations singly it may take some considerable time. Could he give us some idea of how many there are?

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
My Lords, I can answer that question precisely, but I am rather frightened that 1187 by doing so I may be exaggerating the time they will consume. There are in fact 34 Regulations, counting a number of formal ones. I should not like to imply that some of these are not serious matters—I am sure they are—but, on the other hand, I do not want to suggest that that gives an accurate picture. But the answer is that there are, in all, 34 Regulations.

§ LORD CARRINGTON
I do not know whether there are any precedents for this in the House, but usually our Business is arranged through what are known as "the usual channels". This is the first I have heard this afternoon of the fact that we are going to change our Business on Thursday and debate 34 Regulations.

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
I am sorry, my Lords, but, owing to very pressing business elsewhere, the Chief Whip is not in London. I can only say that I am sure that, if he were here, he would, with his usual efficiency, reply to the particular point raised about the usual channels. But I do not think there is any intention of suggesting to noble Lords opposite that any Business should be interfered with. This Business, I understand, will be taken at the end of the day.

§ LORD OGMORE
My Lords, we on these Benches are grateful to the noble Earl for repeating this Statement. It is, of course, an extremely serious and important Statement. I understand that it is only twice since the end of the war that a similar State of Emergency and similar Regulations have been introduced. I am a little anxious about the time factor here. As these matters are so important, and as we in the House will want to look at the whole situation very carefully—both the Government's imposition of a State of Emergency and the Regulations under it—is there not a suggestion on the part of the noble Earl of scamping this business, of treating the House with, perhaps, less consideration than it might otherwise have expected, in taking this very important subject at the end of Business on Thursday?

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
My Lords, the noble Lord and I have known each other a long time, and I am sorry he should imply that I should be likely 1188 to suggest the scamping of Business. That is a long way from my mind. So far as I know, there will be ample time—I am sure there will be—to discuss this Business. Let me be quite frank. One reason for taking these items before Whitsun is that it might avert the recall of the House during the Whitsun holiday. I think that is a fairly obvious reason, and I could have hoped that the noble Lord, Lord Ogmore, would have appreciated that.

§ LORD OGMORE
My Lords, we can only appreciate it when we are told it; we are not clairvoyant. If a Statement like this is made to the House—and I acquit the noble Earl of any personal discourtesy—I think we are entitled to know the whole of the factors in the Government's mind.

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
I did not want to insult the noble Lord by underlining the obvious.

§ LORD BLYTON
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that we appreciate the reasons for invoking the Emergency Powers Act, because it is the Government's job to help ensure the supplies to the country; but could we be told that the Regulations that are brought in will not be used to browbeat the seamen's union into submission, into accepting the shipowners' dictates, such as happened to us in the 1926 strike? There is a tremendous fund of sympathy in this country for the seamen's case.

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
I can certainly assure the noble Lord that there are no intentions of using these Regulations to browbeat anybody.

§ LORD CARRINGTON
My Lords, may I revert for a moment to the Business of the House? I notice that on Thursday we are to discuss the Committee stage of the Veterinary Surgeons Bill, and that the Military Aircraft (Loans) Bill, the Public Works (Loans) Bill and the Transport Finances Bill are set down for discussion in Committee and remaining stages. Then there are two Unstarred Questions, on both of which, I imagine, there will be some debate. Although I do not know whether they will come before or after this. Is it proposed to do all this Business on Thursday?

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
My Lords, I understand that some of the 1189 Business will not take long. Certainly we hope that we shall be able to complete all this Business. I hope I was not too aggressive to the noble Lord, Lord Ogmore. I would stress the point that most noble Lords would prefer to conclude this on Thursday rather than run the risk of being recalled during the holiday.

§ LORD CARRINGTON
My Lords, I really do not think that is the point. If it is necessary to get this Business done on Thursday, then the other Business must be postponed. This Session is to last until October year; there cannot be all that hurry. I must ask the noble Earl to see that we are not asked to do so much Business on one particular day because of the Whitsun Recess.

§ LORD BOOTHBY
My Lords, may I support the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, and say that if we are asked to debate a Declaration of Emergency then surely it is obvious that that should take precedence over other Business of the House by being taken first on Thursday.

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
My Lords, I think I can only reply to noble Lords that these matters must clearly be discussed through the usual channels.

§ LORD OGMORE
My Lords, the point the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, has made is exactly my point, and I support him from these Benches. If this is a really important issue then surely the Committee stages of the Veterinary Surgeons Bill and of the Aircraft Bill and other matters can wait. There is no great urgency about them. After all, the Veterinary Surgeons Bill went through the last Parliament and just failed to come to the post. Nobody will worry very much if it is delayed another fortnight or three weeks.

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
My Lords, I do not feel able to comment on the importance of the Veterinary Surgeons Bill. I am sure that to many people it is of vital importance. I can only repeat that these matters must be discussed through the usual channels.

LORD ERROL OF HALE
My Lords, could the noble Earl help the House in one matter, the debate on the Regulations? I appreciate that we need not be 1190 too alarmed that there are 34 of them, as a number will be formal. But will each Regulation be taken separately, so that we have a series of short debates devoted to each Regulation's substance in turn, or will there be an omnibus debate, with omnibus approval of the Regulations at the end of the day?

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
Obviously, that must be worked out. I do not think the Government will do anything in this matter except try to meet the wish of your Lordships' House.

§ VISCOUNT DILHORNE
My Lords, the noble Earl said that there were 34 Regulations. He did not say whether they were all embodied in one document or whether there were 34 different documents. If they are all embodied in one document then I presume there will be one debate. Could the noble Earl say whether there is more than one document or whether there are 34 of them?

§ THE EARL OF LONGFORD
My Lords, I have a summary of the Regulations here which I shall be delighted to show to the noble Viscount afterwards.