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H
I
S
B R I T A N N I C M A J E S T Y ' S GOVERNMENT) o
C R E To
CP.
.1.43 (.36) .
0 A B I N E To
COMMITTEE ON THE ORGANISATION Og THE COAL-MINING INDUSTRY.
THE COAL MINES BILL, 1956.
REPORTc
1
0
At t h e i r Meeting on 20th May
Conclusion, l )
1936, (Cabinet 38 (36)
s
the Cabinet had under consideration;, as a
matter of u r g e n c y
Coal Mines B i l l
s
the present p o s i t i o n in regard to the
and agreed that the B i l l
s
should he
to the Committee f o r examination of the whole
particularly
in i t s p o l i t i c a l aspects
2o
situations
in c o n s u l t a t i o n with
s
the Parliamentary Secretary to t h e T r e a s u r y
a report to the Cabinet
referred
s
with a view to
0
In the course of h i s speech i n the House of Commons on
the Second Reading of the B i l l
on 18th May
s
the Prime Minister
said:­
" C l e a r l y i t would be impossible to get
the Second Reading of this B i l l t o n i g h t .
I am a l s o c l e a r that i t would only be
fair
i n a l l the circumstances that
b e f o r e the House i s ashed to vote on the
Second Reading of the B i l l we should have
another d a y ' s Debates that a reasonable
time should elapse before the day f o r that
Debate i s selected, and that b e f o r e that
day comes the Government should issue a
White Paper explanatory of the suggested
modifications to be introduced in Committee
by the P r e s i d e n t of the Board of Trade and
the Secretary f o r Mines in the event of the
B i l l r e c e i v i n g a Second R e a d i n g "
s
s
s
0
Hansard
?
Volo
Colo
312
912c
y
Ho.
88
9
IBS
5',
We have a c c o r d i n g l y considered what date should he
f i x e d fdr the resumption of the adjourned Debate on the
Second Reading.
4.
We are informed by the Parliamentary Secretary to the
Treasury that on the assumption that Parliament w i l l be p r o ­
rogued foi* the Su.u-.er Recess on Friday,
31st July,
the
House of Coiamons Time Table i s a l r e a d y overloaded to the
extent of fxve days, on
anticipates
Bill
that i f
Tie most favourable
estimate.
an attempt i s made to proceed with the
i t w i l l meet with the most strenuous o p p o s i t i o n ,
on the f l o o r
be concluded much b e f o r e
In
u n l i k e l y to
the end of July ana he can see no
prospect of the B i l l passing i n t o law b e f o r e
the Recess.
The Lord Chancellor has-warned us that there w i l l be
at l e a s t as much o p p o s i t i o n to the B i l l
as in the House of Commons.
certainly
refuse
few days b e f o r e
6.
both
of the House and i n Standing Committee.
h i s view the Committee stage of the B i l l would be
5.
He
in the House of Lords
The House of Lords would
to pass the B i l l
if
i t only reached them a
the Recess.
We have examined the p o s s i b i l i t y of d i v i d i n g the
and of proceeding b e f o r e
the Recess only with the
of P a r t I of the Act of 1930.
that the o b j e c t i o n s
We are s a t i s f i e d ,
Bill
extension
however,
to t h i s course outweigh any p o s s i b l e
advantages.
7,
In these circumstances we are convinced that no u s e f u l
purpose would be served by any attempt to proceed with the
B i l l before
8.
the Summer Recess.
The B i l l ,
P r e s i d e n t of
Reading,
duly amended on the l i n e s i n d i c a t e d by the
the Board of Trade in the Debate on Second
should therefore be r e - i n t r o d u c e d i n the autumn,
and i t s
passage
confidence
Reading
of
into
It will
law
he
imperative,
t h e new B i l l
in
s h o u l d h e made t o e n s u r e
the G o v e r n m e n t s
s h o u l d t h e n he made a q u e s t i o n
before
t h e autumn,
the
that
proposals,
both
inside
Second
every
adequate p u b l i c i t y
effort
and s u p p o r t
and
of
for
outside
Parliament.
9.
In view
of
the Debate
on 1 8 t h May" 3 i t
is
necessary that
the Government's
intentions
Bill
announced b e f o r e
t h e Yi/hitsuntide
should be
we a t t a c h ,
statement
for
the
on t h e
approval
subject
the Prime M i n i s t e r ' s
business
10o
of
after
If
course,
White
the
of
the
announcement
regarding
Cabinet,
which might be
Recess,
the d r a f t
incorporated
regarding
and
of
a
in
Parliamentary
Whitsuntide,
Cabinet
accept
b e no n e c e s s i t y
Our c o n c l u s i o n s
as f o l l o w s
our s u g g e s t i o n s
for
there
the p u b l i c a t i o n
of
and r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s may b e
will,
a
summarised
:­
(l)
No u s e f u l p u r p o s e w o u l d b e s e r v e d b y
any a t t e m p t t o p r o c e e d w i t h the p r e s e n t
C o a l M i n e s B i l l b e f o r e t h e Summer R e c e s s .
(2)
A Coal Mines B i l l , embodying the m o d i ­
f i c a t i o n s i n d i c a t e d by the P r e s i d e n t
o f t h e B o a r d o f T r a d e i n t h e D e b a t e on
Second R e a d i n g , should be i n t r o d u c e d i n
t h e autumn and i t s p a s s a g e i n t o l a w
s h o u l d t h e n b e made a m a t t e r o f c o n f i d e n c e .
(3)
A statement of the Governments i n t e n t i o n s
on the l i n e s o f t h e a t t a c h e d d r a f t s h o u l d
b e made i n t h e House o f Commons b e f o r e t h e
Whitsuntide Recess,
S i g n e d on b e h a l f
of
the
Committee
WALTER RUNCIMAN,
Chairman,.
Trade,
3 6 t h May,
the
Paper,
11.
of
urgently
1936.
DRAFT STATSMiSET.
I t w i l l be for- the convenience of the House i f
I
make a statement as to the Government's i n t e n t i o n s in
regard
to the Goal Mines B i l l .
The Government hold by the p r i n c i p l e s of the B i l l ,
which
forms an i n t e g r a l p a r t of the measures designed to improve
the condition of the coal i n d u s t r y ;
they have,
decided that i t must "be postponed u n t i l
the Autumn.
When the house reassembles a f t e r Whitsuntide
only be about 8 Parliamentary weeks b e f o r e
of August.
There i s
still
a g r e a t deal of
through a l l
will
essential
the Recess
examination of the t i m e - t a b l e ,
c l e a r that s u f f i c i e n t
the B i l l
there
the beginning
Government b u s i n e s s to be got through b e f o r e
and from a c a r e f u l
however,
it
is
time i s not now a v a i l a b l e to pass
its
stages in t h i s House in time to
allow reasonable d i s c u s s i o n of the measure in another
JO 1 G.C S *
The Government w i l l make use of the i n t e r v a l
a Bill,
which w i l l
to prepare
incorporate the changes announced by the
P r e s i d e n t of the Boe.ru of Trade when moving the Second
Reading on Monday, 18th May.
Consequently i t w i l l not be
necessary to present a White Paper.
The Government w i l l
new B i l l
ask the House to proceed with the
as soon as p o s s i b l e a f t e r
the Summer Recess.
I f any inconvenience or uncertainty i s l i k e l y to be
created by this b r i e f postponement,
I trust
of my announcement w i l l be s u f f i c i e n t
tti&t
to d i s s i p a t e
the terms
them.