§ (1) The persons appointed under the Lunacy Acts, 1890 to 1911, to act as visitors of licensed houses, with the addition of one or more women appointed in like manner as such visitors, shall be the visitors of institutions for defectives under this Act, and the number of persons appointed to be visitors of licensed houses under those Acts shall be such as may be considered necessary to perform the duties of visitors of institutions for defectives under this Act as well as the duties of visitors of licensed houses under those Acts, and their duties under this Act shall be taken into consideration in determining the remuneration, if any, of the visitors and clerks to visitors.
§ (2) In all places where no persons are so appointed to act as visitors of licensed houses a sufficient number of persons, with the addition of one or more women, possessing the like qualifications as such visitors shall be appointed in like manner as such visitors to act as visitors of institutions for defectives, and a clerk to such visitors shall be appointed in like manner as in the case of the clerk to the visitors 2588 appointed under the Lunacy Acts, 1890 to 1911, and the expenses of visitors so appointed, including the remuneration, if any, of any visitors and clerks to visitors, shall be defrayed in like manner as the expenses of visitors under the Lunacy Acts, 1890 to 1911.
§ (3) The visitors of institutions for defectives shall perform such functions as are assigned to them by this Act and such further functions in connection with the visitation of institutions and of the patients therein, and with respect to the discharge of such patients and their after care and otherwise, as may be assigned to them by regulations of the Secretary of State under this Act.
§ Lords Amendment: In Sub-section (2), leave out the words "with the addition of one or more women."
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTIs this merely a drafting Amendment? What is the object in leaving out these words? I see they appear in the previous Sub-section, and unless the words "possessing the like qualifications" following the words to be left out are intended to cover within the term qualifications that of sex, which I should have thought was rather stretching the words, I do not quite see the object of the omission of these words. Surely it is still desired that the visitors should include one or more women!
§ Mr. McKENNAIf the hon. Member will look at the Amendment next on the Paper, he will see it is merely inserting the words after visitors instead of in the middle of the line. There is no alteration in the meaning of the Bill.
§ Question, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment," put, and agreed to.
§ Lords Amendments:
§ After the word "visitors" ["like qualifications as such visitors"], insert the words "with the addition of one or more women."
§ In Sub-section (3), after the word "therein" ["and of the patients therein"], insert the words "and of defectives under guardianship."
§ Leave out the word "patients" ["discharge of such patients"], and insert instead thereof the word "defectives."
§ Lords Amendments agreed to.