CAB129-36 — Page 288

bimulated 24.1.4

24.1.49 at 8.00

Page 288

138

IS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT)

SECRET

E. P. (49) 168

26TH JULY, 1949

CABINET

COPY NO.

31

IRON AND STEEL BILL:

PARLIAMENTARY TIMETABLE

Memorandum by the Minister of Supply

The Cabinet on 20th June (C. M. (49) 41st Conclusions, Minute 2) "agreed that the Government should decline to accept any amendment moved in the House of Lords with the object of providing that the Iron and Steel Bill could not be brought into effective operation until after the general election".

On 30th June (C. M. (49) 43rd Conclusions, Minute the Cabinet agreed that if there were exchanges between the two Houses on the Lords! amendments, it would be desirable to defer until the autumn the completion of the discussions between the two Houses on the Lords' amendments.

2.

The present situation is that the Lords have proposed some 30 amendments with which the Commons have disagreed. The Commons' disagreement will go to the Lords on Thursday, 28th July, and it may be assumed that the Lords will insist on at least one group of amendments. If they do insist, that insistence will be reported back to the House of Commons and the final deadlock will not be reached until the Commons insist on their disagreement.

3.

I understand it has been proposed that the Commons should insist on their disagreements before the Recess; but for reasons which I outline in the following paragraphs my colleagues may wish to consider whether the wiser course may not be to leave further consideration of the Lords' amendments until after the Recess.

.

4.

The difficulty is that, if the 1st May, 1950, is kept in the Bill, it will be necessary for the Bill to be ne law before that date even if it were intended to exercise he power of postponement. This cannot be guaranteed under the Parliament Act procedure unless the next Session is brought to an end before that date. This involves either a special short session of some six weeks for the sole purpose of passing the Iron and Steel Bill; or bringing to an end the ordinary 1950 Session before the 1st May. The latter course may be difficult by reason of the demands of financial and other business.

5.

There remain the alternatives of altering the reference in the Bill to the 1st May, 1950, to a later date; or of persuading the House of Lords to pass the Bill in its present form this Session on an assurance by the Government that phee 288f66transfer will be postponggröfb6yntil

after the General Election.

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