§ The Earl of AvonMy Lords, I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the order laid before the House on 11th June be approved.—(The Earl of Avon.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ Lord DenhamMy Lords, with the leave of the House, before I move the adjournment of the House for the Summer Recess, I should like as is customary to say a few words. If I were to thank noble Lords in the two Opposition parties and on the Cross-Benches for their forbearance over what has been a very gruelling Session indeed, we might be misunderstood down the corridor. Political differences we do have in this House, but I think that the objective, and even friendly, way in which we discuss and examine the issues of the day in this House plays no small part in the democracy of the country.
On behalf of my noble friends on these Benches, I should like to thank noble Lords in other parts of the House for the way in which they have taken the business, which has been fairly hard in a number of respects this Session. I should like to wish them all a very happy Recess. On behalf of all of the House, I should like to wish all of the staff, in all parts of the House, who have looked after us so well, a very well deserved rest indeed, and to convey very many thanks from all of us.
§ Lord Ponsonby of ShulbredeMy Lords, I should like to thank the noble Lord for his good wishes for the Recess, and certainly I wish to associate those of us on this side of the House with his wish that the staff shall have a restful Recess.
While reciprocating the noble Lord's remarks, perhaps I can express a forlorn hope—one which I know has been expressed on many occasions in the past—that we might not be worked quite so hard in the next Session; that the Government might be able so to order its business that it will spread more evenly throughout the year; and that we do not have to rush unduly the pace of business at this time of the year.
I believe that all of us on this side of the House have tried to keep up with the pace of Government business, albeit that it has meant sitting four nights a week, on many occasions up to eleven o'clock and beyond. With those remarks, we would wish Members of the Government Benches a happy and restful Recess, and we only regret that we have to come back as early as 6th October.
§ Lord WigoderMy Lords, may I be permitted to recall the elderly gentleman in Manchester who once put a notice in the personal column of the Guardian which simply stated that he wished to thank all of his friends who had written to him on the occasion of his recent very severe heart attack and he hoped to reciprocate in the very near future. Without any such personal or political implication, may the Liberal Peers reciprocate the good wishes which have been expressed by the noble Lord, Lord Denham.
§ Lord DenhamMy Lords, with thanks for those slightly two-sided remarks, I beg to move that this House do now adjourn.