RAILWAY FIRES ACT (1905) AMENDMENT BILL. (Hansard, 12 July 1923)

§ THE EARL OF ANCASTER
I beg to move the Amendment after Clause 3 1012 which stands in my name. There was some doubt as to whether the Bill as originally drawn would apply to fires occurring before the passage of the Bill, and in order to remove that doubt I have put down this Amendment which represents the agreement of all the parties concerned. The Bill, as drafted, is rather ambiguous and the object of the Amendment is to remove that ambiguity.

§ LORD HASTINGS
I greatly regret the Amendment, because although I admit that the Bill may be slightly ambiguous, and that it would be a better Bill with the Amendment, this Bill, unlike that which we have just disposed of, is opposed in another place, and I should be glad if the Government can give me an assurance that they will facilitate the passage of the Bill when it does reach another place, before I definitely commit myself to the acceptance of the Amendment.

§ THE EARL OF ANCASTER
I think it is most important that this Amendment should be inserted in the Bill, because, as I understand, there are one or two cases now pending, over which difficulty may arise if this ambiguity is left in the Bill. As regards the passage of the Bill through another place, of course I cannot give any definite pledge that the Government will find time, so that the Bill may pass into law before Parliament rises early in August. All I can do is to assure the noble Lord that I have consulted the Minister on the question, and he states that he will use his best endeavours to try to get the Bill passed through the House of Commons as speedily as possible. I hope that the noble Lord will be content with that.

§ LORD STRACHIE
I cannot say that I think the statement of the noble Earl is at all satisfactory. Further, I do not see why it is necessary to insert this Amendment at this late stage. The Bill was thoroughly considered in the House of 1013 Commons, and I noticed that in the Standing Committee there was very little opposition to it. Such opposition as there was came from Sir Frederick Banbury, and he seems to have been perfectly satisfied. This is apparently a matter that would affect only railway directors, and if they had been anxious that this should come into force at once they would have taken action in another place. I do not think the noble Earl has given a sufficient reason why we should run the risk of losing this Bill. The noble Earl refers to cases of difficulty now pending, and there may be in this hot weather a great many cases, but the noble Earl is depriving agriculturists who are liable to fires of the benefits of this Bill. Apparently, it is to be put off indefinitely, so that practically all this year these fires may take place, and there will be no remedy for the unfortunate farmer.
Speaking for the Central Chamber of Agriculture, whose Chairman I happen to be this year, I may say that a very strong feeling was expressed last Tuesday at a meeting of the Chamber at the action of the Government in taking this step at the last moment, and in delaying the Bill. They were most anxious that this Bill should not go down to another place unless there was some assurance from the Government that they would see that the Bill was passed. The noble Earl speaks of there being a great deal of difficulty, but, having been a member of another place, he knows that there is no difficulty at all. With a simple Amendment like this all that is necessary to do is to put the Bill down among the Government's own Bills after the eleven o'clock rule is suspended, and it goes through at once. One cannot help feeling that the noble Earl is not very strongly in favour of the Bill, otherwise it would have been a simple matter to have given the assurance to my noble friend that the Government intended to see it through, if not now, in the Autumn Session. I can only assure the noble Earl that agriculturists will entertain a good deal of suspicion, and will think that the Government do not very much care whether their crops are destroyed or not.

§ LORD HASTINGS
While I have great sympathy with what has been said by the noble Lord, Lord Strachie, I have taken careful note of what the noble Earl has 1014 said, and I accept his assurance that the Minister of Agriculture will do all he can to see that this Bill is passed. Therefore, I accept the Amendment.