§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, dinner will be available this evening between 7 and 8.30 p.m. I hope it will also be convenient if I propose that we sit again on the Transport Bill until around 10 o'clock this evening.
EARL ST. ALDWYNMy Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lord could enlighten the House a little more about next week's Business. In particular, I think that people are a little vague about what is to happen on Monday.
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, on the basis of information which reaches me through the usual channels, I understand that we are unlikely to spend much time on the Report stage and Third Reading of the Prices and Incomes Bill. Then if, as I understand, the completion of the Committee stage of the Town and Country Planning Bill occupies only about an hour and a half, I hope that subsequently we can have another go at the Transport Bill on Monday. I intend, if this is agreeable, definitely to put the Transport Bill on the Order Paper for Monday, but possibly we could agree that we take it on the understanding that we should start it at a reasonable hour. Subsequently, we shall have further Sittings on the Transport Bill on Tuesday the 9th and Thursday the 11th.
EARL ST. ALDWYNI am wondering whether, for the convenience of the House, it would not be better to take the Prices and Incomes Bill first on Monday; then to take the Transport Bill until, say, 6.30 or 7; and then thereafter finish off the Town and Country Planning Bill.
§ LORD BESWICKOf course, I am always open to discuss this matter, but accepting that we take the Prices and Incomes Bill, which is a first priority in our planning for that day, I should have thought that it would be for the more efficient use of our time if we got the Town and Country Planning Bill out of the way. It is the more finite Bill. We can hope to complete it in, I should have thought, an hour or an hour and a half, and then we should have the rest of the time for the Transport Bill. Otherwise, accepting the other suggestion, it would mean that we should have only an artificial limitation, as it were, on the time devoted to the Transport Bill —something like an hour and a half, I think the noble Earl suggested. But certainly I should be glad to discuss it.
EARL ST. ALDWYNMy Lords, I think the noble Lord's estimate of an hour and a half for the Town and Country Planning Bill is probably a little on the short side. It will probably take somewhat longer than that—perhaps between 2 and 2½ hours, or something like that. The House has worked very hard on the Transport Bill, and it might be more convenient if that Bill were taken immediately after the Prices and Incomes Bill until, say, half past six or seven, and we then gently finished off the proceedings on the other Bill.
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I am quite happy, as I say, to discuss this matter further. I simply make this point: that if I switch these round I shall please the noble Earl—and nothing would delight me more—but almost certainly I shall be displeasing other noble Lords. I shall have to take a balance of displeasures, possibly. Perhaps we could discuss later the question of the order in which the two Bills should be taken.
§ LORD SHACKLETONMy Lords, I hope noble Lords share my own interest in watching the "usual channels" operating in public.