HC Deb 15 August 1913 vol 56 cc3308-9

"At the end of Sub-section (4) of Section 80 of the principal Act, the following shall be added:— And provided further that for the purposes of Sub-section (3) of Section 64 of the principal Act, relating to the provision of sanatoria, burghs, and police burghs so held to be within the county shall be entitled to direct representation on the joint committees, joint boards, or otherwise, therein referred to, in such manner as may be determined by the Board.

Clause brought up, and read the first time.

The CHAIRMAN

This Clause, the next in order, stands in the name of the right hon. Gentleman, the Member for Clackmannan (Mr. Eugene Wason) who is not a member of this Committee. The Member for Montrose (Mr. R. Harcourt), has given notice to move it in his place.

Mr. R. HARCOURT

I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a second time."

It raises a point of administrative convenience. The burghs and police burghs under 20,000 population in Scotland, although having separate town councils and being separate authorities for Public Health, are not entitled to direct representation.

Sir RANDOLF BAKER

May I ask why the Clause [Employed Contributors] standing in the name of the Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Leach) is out of order?

The CHAIRMAN

It is in the same position as this Clause, only in this case the hon. Member for Montrose has given notice to move it. The other was put down by a Member who is not a member of this Committee, and therefore I passed it over.

Mr. R. HARCOURT

I am moving in the place of my right hon. Friend the Member for Clackmannan. These authorities are not entitled to direct representation upon the Sanatoria Committees. The Town Council of Alloa has written to my right hon. Friend who put the Amendment upon the Paper, and other burghs are similarly interested in getting direct representation upon these committees. In fact, they thought they were entitled to it. If I read a paragraph from a letter from the Town Clerk of one of these burghs, it will explain the matter:— By the courtesy of the County Councils, representatives of the Town Councils of the Police Burghs, acted on the Joint Committee which prepared the draft scheme fur Sanatoria, and they unanimously urged that their Town Councils should be directly represented on the Joint Board for the Sanatorium to be constituted under the order. The County representatives were in sympathy with this desire, and were prepared to provide in the draft order for the direct representation of the Town Councils of the Police Burghs, and only refrained from doing so as they were advised that, in the opinion of the Local Government Board it would not be competent to make such provisions. From this letter it will be seen that the County Councils were perfectly prepared to agree that the Town Councils should have direct representation upon the Committees, but it was found that there were legal difficulties in the way. It seems to me to be a matter of administrative convenience, and I hope the Amendment will be accepted.

Mr. MASTERMAN

This is to meet a purely technical difficulty which has arisen since the Act was passed. It does not occur in England. The law has been interpreted in Scotland in a sense which excludes those local authorities from direct representation.

Question, "That the Clause be read a second time," put, and agreed to.

Clause added to the Bill.