HC Deb 06 August 1913 vol 56 cc1644-5

(1) Regulations made by the Treasury under Section 83 of the principal Act may incorporate the joint committee constituted under that Section.

(2) All documents issued before the commencement of this Act by the joint committee, either alone or jointly with any of the bodies of Insurance Commissioners appointed for the purposes of Part I. of the principal Act shall be deemed to have been validly issued if issued under a seal purporting to be the seal of the joint committee, or under the hands of any four or more of the members of the committee countersigned by the secretary or clerk to the joint committee.

(3) The Documentary Evidence Act, 1868, as amended by the Documentary Evidence Act, 1882, shall apply to each of the said several bodies of Insurance Commissioners, and to the said joint committee, as if each of those bodies and the joint committee were included in the first column of the Schedule to the first-mentioned Act, and the chairman or any other member or the secretary or clerk or any person authorised to act on behalf of the secretary or clerk, of the body or committee, were mentioned in the second column of that Schedule, and as if the regulations referred to in those Acts included any document issued by any of those bodies or that committee.

Mr. BECK

On behalf of the hon. Member for the Middleton Division of Lancashire (Sir Ryland Adkins) I desire to move at the end of Sub-section (3) to insert as a new Sub-section:

"(4) Where the Insurance Commissioners have before the passing of this Act granted a certificate under paragraph (b) of Part II. of the First Schedule to the principal Act as respects any employment under a local or other public authority that the terms of the employment are such as to comply with the requirements of that paragraph, the certificate shall be conclusive evidence that the authority has power to engage and employ persons on the terms in respect of which the certificate was granted."

Mr. CASSEL

Is it in order, Mr. Speaker, to move an Amendment standing in the name of another hon. Member, and is this Amendment within the scope of the Bill, as it proposes to give entirely new powers to local authorities? The mere fact that a certificate is granted by the Insurance Commissioners on certain terms is to empower any local authority in the United Kingdom to make a contract in those terms. I submit that the Amendment is not in order on both grounds.

Mr. BECK

On the second point of Order, I submit that the Amendment is within the scope of the Bill. Sub-section (3) of Clause 27 deals with documentary evidence with which this Amendment also deals. It is a very small matter.

Mr. SPEAKER

On the first point, an hon. Member is certainly entitled to move an Amendment standing in the name of another hon. Member. It is only in the case of new Clauses that an Amendment cannot be moved by another hon. Member. With regard to the second point, I should like to hear the hon. Member before expressing an opinion.

Mr. BECK

The point is that it is a matter of evidence. I may say that if there is any doubt I do not move it, but I understand it will facilitate the working of the Act. If hon. Members opposite take the responsibility of objecting I do not move.