May I ask the Leader of the House if he will state what will be the business for next week; and may I also ask him whether the notice of Motion standing in his name to-day, that the proceedings of the Committee be exempted from the eleven o'clock rule, means the proceedings of the Committee on the Finance Resolution relating to the Defence of the Realm (Acquisition of Land) Act? Does not my right hon. Friend agree that it is very undesirable that these Financial Resolutions should be taken after eleven o'clock at night, and, especially in view of the fact that two or three Financial Resolutions were taken at about a quarter to seven this morning, will he give an assurance to the House that there will be no more legislation proposed this Session which involves any further charge upon the subject?

May I ask whether, either on the Report stage of the Food Ministry Resolution, if that has not been taken-I think it has not-or on the Second Reading on the Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill, the Government will state, rather more explicitly than they have up to the present, what course they propose to take with regard to food control, and by what date we may hope that it will be abolished?

With regard to the question of the Noble Lord, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the exchequer will state as clearly as he can to-day what we propose to do with regard to that and other matters.

As regards the business for next week, assuming that the Roads Bill, the Gold and Silver (Export Control, etc.) Bill, and the Government of India Act Draft Rules go through to-morrow,

On Monday we shall take the Housing (Scotland) Bill, the Registrar-General (Scotland) Bill, the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill, the Police Pensions Bill, and, if time permits, further progress with Estimates.

On Tuesday, the Dyestuffs (Import Regulation) Bill, if through Committee, Air and Navy and other Estimates, and the British Empire Exhibition Bill.

On Wednesday, Army Supplementary Estimates, and the Dyestuffs (Import Regulation) Bill, if not already taken.

On Thursday, the Defence of the Realm (Acquisition of Land) Bill, the Official Secrets Bill, the Air Navigation Bill, and the Juvenile Courts (Metropolis) Bill.

On Friday it may be possible to take the Second Reading of the Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill.

This sounds a very alarming programme, and it is very large, but it is right that the House should realise that there is no possibility of our ending the Session at Christmas unless with the co-operation of the House of Commons. If that is given, I think it is possible that we may end the Session before Christmas Day, but even that must depend to some extent on the action in Another place. That is the explanation of the necessity for taking this Financial Resolution to-night. I quite admit that it is undesirable, and we are doing it as seldom as we can.

Does not my right hon. Friend see that, if the House gives anything like adequate attention to a long list of Supplementary Estimates, and takes the Report stages of the other Bills to which he has referred, it is impossible, consistently without public duty, to rise before Christmas, and that it would be very much better to announce as speedily as possible what the real situation in practice must be?

I have announced what the real situation is. We have often found that at the end of a Session business can be got through, with adequate discussion, in a shorter time than at other periods of the Session. It is not a question of the convenience of the Government. It does not matter nearly so much to us as to other Members whether the Session is prolonged. It is for the House to decide.

May I ask a question with regard to an opportunity for discussion of the Report of the Public Accounts Committee? The Chairman has a customary right to ask for such an opportunity, and I wish to make a suggestion about it for my right hon. Friend's consideration. I think that probably the House will not wish to deal this Session, if we can help it, with anything, apart from Supplementary Estimates, except legislation. Even if we come back after Christmas, we shall want to finish up, and not to have a new topic introduced, such as the Report of the Public Accounts Committee or the equally important Report of the Select Committee on National Expenditure, of which the right hon. Baronet (Sir. F. Banbury) is Chairman. If I, so to speak, withdraw the right of asking for an opportunity this Session, would the Leader of the House see that we get an early day for the discussion of, perhaps, both these Reports at the beginning of next Session?

That is a perfectly reasonable request, and one which I shall certainly grant if it is possible; but my right hon. Friend knows that at the beginning of the Session we are very much hampered by the necessity of getting through financial business, and it must to some extent depend upon that.

Perhaps my right hon. Friend will consider it?

Certainly.

May I ask when the remaining stages of the Civil Service Supplementary Votes are going to be taken? I do not think they were taken last night, or, at any rate, I am not aware of it.

My right hon. Friend is correct; they were not taken last night. They will be taken as soon as we can get time to deal with them. I cannot name any particular date; it will depend on the progress of other business.

Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESS:

May I ask if the Air Estimates will have precedence over the Civil Service Estimates which are now partly discussed?

We do propose to take them in the order I have mentioned.

Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESS:

The right hon. Gentleman said that on Monday he was going to take the Supplementary Estimates, and after that these others. Do we understand that, if the Supplementary Estimates are not finished on Monday, he will go on with them before taking these further Estimates which have now been laid?

That is right, and if we have time on Monday we shall proceed with the Civil Service Estimates.

Will my right hon. Friend give an undertaking that the Committee stage of the Supplementary Estimates, at any rate, shall not be taken after 11 o'clock at night?

Obviously I can give no such undertaking, because it would mean that we should have to abandon the hope of ending the Session before Christmas. I am rather surprised at the idea which is now so prevalent that it is impossible for Members of the House to give due attention to their work after 11 o'clock at night. I have had a great deal of experience in other days when that was normal.

Would it not be wiser to drop a good many of these Bills, and so save the time spent in passing all these foolish little Bills?

The answer to that is that we do not think that they are foolish little Bills, or we should not have introduced them.

Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTT:

Is it proposed to drop the Teinds Bill this Session?

indicated assent.

If the Government succeed in getting their vote of confidence to-day, having regard to the fact that there is no serious Opposition, could not they pass all these Bills en bloc?

4.0 P.M.

Motion made, and Question put, That the Proceedings in Committee on Defence of the Realm (Acquisition of Land) [Compensation] be exempted at this day's Sitting from the provisions of the Standing Order (Sittings of the House)."—[Mr. Honor Law.]

The House divided: Ayes, 221; Noes, 49.