HL Deb 26 March 1925 vol 60 cc742-3

Read 3a (according to Order).

THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY)

My Lords, there, are three Amendments to be introduced in this Bill, if the House is willing, and I think I shall be able to explain to your Lordships in a moment what the purport of them is. The Amendments in my name all relate to the same point. It appears that this Order was originally drawn with the date of September 30, 1924, in it. Then it was objected to, and therefore had to be submitted to the ordinary procedure of Provisional Orders, and had to be postponed. Then the objection was not proceeded with, and so the Order came before my noble friend the Lord Chairman in the ordinary course as an unopposed Bill. But, in consequence of the delay, he, very naturally, assumed that the date September 30 was altogether out of date, and, as the Royal Assent to this Bill could not be given till April or May of the present year, he thought it was necessary to alter the date from September 30, 1924, to September 30, 1925, and did so. My noble friend reminds me that he was not responsible; it was done at the suggestion of the Government. However, that having been done, it was then discovered that a mistake had been made, and that the original Order ought to have been maintained, and the increased charges dated from 1924 and not from 1925.

I could, if your Lordships wished, elaborate the reasons for that, but it is quite clear that, if every interested body thought that they could, by an objection, postpone the payment of these extra charges for nine months, let us say, everybody would object, and therefore it is necessary to maintain the original date. No doubt, as a matter of practice, where there has been a change of occupation it will not be possible to recover the arrears, which cover the time that has elapsed since September 30 of last year. That is a blemish which cannot be avoided. For these reasons I ask the leave of your Lordships to restore the date of 1924 instead of the date of 1925, as it now stands in the Rill. As these three Amendments are on the same point. I beg to move them together.

Amendments moved—

Clause 1, page 1, line 13. after ("Order") insert ("as amended and")

In the Schedule, page 3, line 6, leave out ("on") and insert ("as from")

In the Schedule, page 3, line 8, leave out ("twenty-five") and insert C"twenty-four").—(The Marquess of Salisbury.)

On Question, Amendments agreed to.

Bill passed, and sent to the Commons.