§ Clause 2, page 2, line 20, leave out Cause 2 and insert the following new clause—
§
Charges in respect of public slaughterhouses
("(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, a local authority who have provided a public slaughterhouse may make charges, according to scales determined by them from time to time, in respect of the use of the slaughterhouse or of any services provided there.
§ (2) Every scale of charges determined by a local authority for the purposes of this section shall be published by them in at least one newspaper circulating in their district and in such other manner (if any) as they think expedient for informing persons interested; and a copy of every scale of charges so published shall be sent by the authority to the Minister of Food.
§ (3) If it appears to the Minister of Food that a scale of charges determined by a local authority for the purposes of this section is 425 in any respect unreasonable, he may, after consultation with the authority, direct them—
- (a) to make such alterations in the scale as he considers appropriate, and
- (b) except with his approval, not to depart from the scale as altered for such period as he may specify:
§ (4) The following enactments shall cease to have effect, that is to say:—
- (a) paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section sixty of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938 (which enables local authorities with the approval of the Minister of Housing and Local Government to make charges in respect of a public slaughterhouse provided by them); and
- (b) so much of any local Act or statutory order as authorises a local authority to make charges in respect of a public slaughterhouse or to make byelaws for that purpose.")
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, this new clause, which was substituted for the existing Clause 2 of the Bill, provides a simplified procedure for the fixing of charges for the use of a public slaughterhouse. By this clause, a local authority who have provided a public slaughterhouse may make such charges for its use as they consider appropriate, but they must publish their scales of charges in at least one local newspaper and send a copy of the scale so published to the Minister of Food. I beg to move that the House do agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.
§ Moved, That this House do agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Carrington.)
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I should like to be clear on one point and I am sure that the Parliamentary Secretary will be able to tell me what I wish to know. Does this Amendment give power to the local authority to fix charges in respect of any other slaughterhouse which is not confined to slaughtering for its own business purposes?
§ LORD CARRINGTONThis applies only to municipally operated slaughterhouses.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.