Orders of the Day — Parliament Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 November 1947.

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Photo of Mr David Maxwell Fyfe Mr David Maxwell Fyfe , Liverpool, West Derby 12:00, 10 November 1947

One then comes to the result of these statements and figures which I have quoted. It is quite clear that they demonstrate beyond per- adventure that the need for a revising House it greater than it was 30 or 40 years ago. I am not blaming right hon. Gentle men opposite, although I might. I rather seek to find the causes, of which the right hon. Gentleman is quite aware. As a modern scientific State develops, as the complexity of the matters legislated for becomes greater, as the State takes more share in the course of legislation, then legislation becomes more difficult, and one must recognise—and the figures I have given to the House demonstrate it quite clearly—that this House, simply as a legislative machine, as something that turns out Acts of Parliament which will affect the lives of the people, would fail to achieve efficiency were these Measures not properly revised, as they have been revised, by a Second Chamber at the present time. I do not think even the right hon. Gentleman sought to make any serious attack—