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ORDERS OF REFERENCE.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Die Martis, 11° Martii, 1924.

Message from the Commons, That they have come to the following Resolution, viz. : That it is expedient that a Select Committee of the Commons be appointed to join with a Committee of the Lords to consider the desirability of altering the customary period of the Parliamentary Session and the incidental changes necessary thereto, and to desire their Lordships' concurrence thereto; the said Message to be taken into consideration on Thursday next.

Die Jovis, 13° Martii, 1924.

Commons Message considered (according to order), moved, That this House do concur in the following Resolution communicated by the Commons, viz. : "That it is expedient that a Select "Committee of the Commons be appointed to join with a Com"mittee of the Lords to consider the desirability of altering the customary period of the Parliamentary Session and the inci"dental changes necessary thereto (The Lord MuirMackenzie); agreed to, and a message ordered to be sent to the Commons to acquaint them therewith.

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Die Martis, 25° Martii, 1924.

Message from the Commons, That they have appointed a Committee, to consist of Nine Members, to join with a Committee of this House to consider the desirability of altering the customary period of the Parliamentary Session and the incidental changes necessary thereto; and to request this House to appoint an equal number of Lords to be joined with the members of their House : The said Message to be taken into consideration To-morrow.

Die Mercurii, 26° Martii, 1924.

Commons Message of yesterday considered (according to order), moved, That a Committee of Nine Lords be appointed to join with a Committee of the House of Commons, as mentioned. in the said Message (The Lord Muir-Mackenzie); agreed to.

The Lords following were named of the Committee

Archbishop of Canterbury,

L. Denman,

E. Clarendon,

E. Midleton,

E. Buxton.

V. Ullswater,

L. Newton,

L. Muir-Mackenzie,
L. Stuart of Wortley.

Ordered, That such Committee have power to agree with the Committee of the Commons in the appointment of a Chairman : Then a Message was ordered to be sent to the Commons to inform them of the appointment of the said Committee by this House.

Die Martis, 8° Aprilis, 1924.

A Message ordered to be sent to the House of Commons to propose that the Joint Committee do meet in Committee Room A., on Thursday, the 8th day of May next, at Twelve o'clock.

Die Mercurii, 14° Maii, 1924.

That the Evidence taken before the Joint Committee from time to time to be printed, but no copies to be delivered except to Members of the Committee and to such other persons as the Committee shall think fit until further order. (N° 89.) Ordered, That the evidence taken by the Joint Committee ou the Sittings of Parliament during the Session of 1923 be referred to the Joint Committee on the Sittings of Parliament in the present Session.

Die Jovis, 26° Junii, 1924.

Report from the Joint Committee (with the Proceedings of the Committee) made, and to be printed. (N° 124.) Minutes of Evidence laid upon the Table, and to be delivered out.

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ORDER OF REFERENCE.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Monday, the 24th day of March, 1924.

Ordered, That so much of the Lords Message [12th March] as relates to the appointment of a Joint Committee on the Sittings of Parliament be now considered.-(Mr. Frederick Hall.) So much of the Lords Message considered accordingly.

Ordered, That a Select Committee of Nine Members be appointed, to join with a Committee to be appointed by the Lords, to consider the desirability of altering the customary period of the Parliamentary Session and the incidental changes necessary thereto.-(Mr. Frederick Hall.)

Message to the Lords to acquaint them therewith.

Committee nominated of,-Mr. Acland, Mr. Austen Chamberlain, Mr. Fisher, Captain Fitzroy, Colonel Gretton, Mr. Frederick Hall, Mr. Neil Maclean, Colonel Lambert Ward, and Mr. Wignall.

Ordered,―That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers, and records.

Ordered, That Three be the quorum.-(Mr. Frederick Hall.)

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The cost of preparing for Publication the shorthand Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee was £11 13s. 4d.

The cost of printing and publishing this Volume is estimated by the Stationery Office at £41, in addition to the cost (£6 15s.) of the separate issue of the Report.

REPORT

BY THE

Select Committee appointed to join with a Select Committee of the House of Commons to consider the desirability of altering the customary period of the Parliamentary Session and the incidental changes necessary thereto.

ORDERED TO REPORT:

1. That the Committee have met and have inquired fully into the subject referred to them.

The Committee were instructed to consider "the desirability of altering the customary period of the Parliamentary Session, and the incidental changes necessary thereto."

The evidence of Sir Leslie Wilson, Chief Government Whip in the last Parliament, and of Sir Arthur Thring, the Clerk of the Parliaments, taken by the Joint Committee on the Sittings of Parliament during the Session of 1923 was referred to this Committee. In addition to the Clerk of the Parliaments, who again attended, the following witnesses gave evidence :-Lord Donoughmore (Chairman of Committees), Sir Lonsdale Webster (Clerk to the House of Commons), Sir Ernest Moon (Counsel to the Speaker), Sir O. Niemeyer (Financial Controller of the Treasury) and Mr. Graham Harrison (Parliamentary Draftsman, on behalf of Sir F. Liddell, who was ill).

But while he

The Speaker was invited to give evidence. expressed himself as ready to place himself at the disposal of the Committee if they desired to examine him, he did not consider it necessary to add anything to the evidence which he had given in 1914, as Chairman of Ways and Means, before the Select Committee of the House of Commons on their Procedure.

The evidence taken before that Select Committee was also referred to the present Committee. Extracts from the evidence given before it on the subject of the Sittings of Parliament are printed as an Appendix to this Report.

2. The Committee had before them particulars as to the sittings of the House in recent years.

It appears that Autumn Sessions or Sittings have been held in no less than 15 out of the last 18 years. They have thus gradually become the rule instead of the exception. The Committee, have therefore, come to the conclusion that, in considering the

question of the Sittings of Parliament, it must be assumed that, except under very special circumstances, an Autumn Session will in future be of normal occurrence.

3. Acting on that assumption, the Committee have given their consideration to the question whether it would be to the convenience of Parliament, and lead to the more effective despatch of business, if some alteration were made in the present Sittings of Parliament.

4. In the opinion of the Committee the present normal Sittings of Parliament are sufficiently prolonged; and, any proposal for re-arranging the Sessions must be judged by the effect it is likely to have in shortening rather than in prolonging the total period of the annual Sittings of Parliament. In this matter they agree with the view expressed by Mr. Asquith before the Committee of 1914 :

"I think," he said, "that the Session is too long now, I think it is having a very serious effect not only on the health. of Members and the efficiency of Ministers and Departments, but also on the attractiveness of Parliament to the kind of man we want to have here. I think our Sessions are too long, and I should deprecate anything which had the effect of even indirectly, although, unintentionally, adding to the average duration of the Session." (Questions 2178 and 2180.) 5. The Committee also have in mind the very real advantage which would accrue to Ministers and to Members of both Houses, and to the principal officers of the Departments of the Government, if an annual Summer Recess could be definitely secured which would coincide with the ordinary school and family holidays. It would, moreover, be a great convenience and relief to Members to know beforehand that their holiday would begin approximately on a certain date. The present uncertainty renders it difficult for them to make private, public and business arrangements for the summer.

6. In the opinion of the Committee a definite Summer Recess would add also to the efficiency of Parliamentary work.. The continuation of the Session into the late summer, with an exhausted House of Commons, is not conducive to good work and good temper; and the business of Parliament would be in every way more satisfactorily conducted in the months of November and December when Members would come back refreshed, than in the hot weather at the end of the summer.

7. Under present conditions, the Government of the day habitually begins the Session as though there were to be no Autumn Sitting and holds out some hope that they will be able to complete the work of the Session by sitting late into the summer. This hope is continually frustrated, Parliament sits far into August, and an Autumn Sitting follows.

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