§ (1) For the purpose of assisting the Statutory Committee in the execution of their duties, a local committee shall be established for every county and county borough, and for every borough or urban district having a population of not less than fifty thousand the council of which so desires, and for any other borough or urban district for which the Statutory Committee, on the application of the council thereof, considers it desirable that, 2107 having regard to the special circumstances of the case, a separate local committee should be established.
§ (2) The constitution of a local committee shall be such as may be determined by a scheme framed by the council of the county borough or urban district and approved by the Statutory Committee; so, however, that every such scheme shall provide—
- (a) for the appointment by the council of the county borough or urban district of at least a majority of the local committee; but the members so appointed by the council need not be members of the council; and
- (b) for the appointment by the council of the county borough or urban district, from amongst the members of the local committee appointed by the council, of a chairman; and
- (c) for the inclusion of women and representatives of labour among the members of the local committee.
§ (3) The scheme, in the case of a county, may provide for the division of the county into districts and the appointment of a sub-committee for each such district, so, however, that every borough and urban district within the county having a population of not less than twenty thousand, and in the case of the county of London the city of London and each metropolitan borough, shall be a separate district, and that the council thereof shall have the right of appointing at least a majority of the members of the sub-committee, and in the appointment of every such sub-committee some of the members appointed shall be women.
§ Such a sub-committee may, but need not, contain any members of the local committee; and a local committee may delegate to a sub-committee any of its powers and duties under this Act.
§ (4) Any expenses of a local committee (except so far as they may be paid by the Statutory Committee) shall be paid out of funds at the disposal of the local committee.
§ (5) In the application of this section to Scotland "county borough" means a royal, parliamentary, or police burgh whose lord provost or provost is, as such, a member of the corporation, and "borough" or "urban district" means a royal, parliamentary, or police burgh.
§ (6) In the application of this section to Ireland a reference to a borough or urban district having a population of not less 2108 than ten thousand shall be substituted for the reference to a borough or urban district having a population of not less than twenty thousand.
§ Lords Amendments:
§ In Sub-section (1), leave out the words "Statutory Committee," and insert instead thereof the word "Board," and consequential Amendments.—Disagreed with.
§ In Sub-section (2), paragraph (a), after the word "county" ["council of the county"], insert the word "or."—Agreed to.
§ In paragraph (b), leave out the words "council of the county borough or urban district from amongst the members of the local committee appointed by the council," and insert instead thereof the words "local committee from amongst their own number."—Agreed to.
§ Insert after paragraph (c) the following new Sub-section:—"(3) If within such time, not being less than one month, as may be allowed by the Statutory Committee, the council does not frame a scheme or such a scheme as the Statutory Committee approve, the Statutory Committee may themselves frame a scheme which shall have a like effect as if it were framed by the council and approved by the Statutory Committee."—Agreed to.
§ In Sub-section (3), after the word "district" ["for each such district"], insert the words, "which sub-committees are hereinafter referred to as district committees."—Agreed to.
§ In Sub-section (3), leave out the word "sub-committee" [members of the subcommittee"], and insert instead thereof the words "district committee," and consequential Amendments.—Agreed to.
§ In Sub-section (3), leave out the words "and a local committee may delegate to a sub-committee any of its powers and duties under this Act."—Agreed to.
§ After Sub-section (3) insert the following new Sub-section—
§ (4) A scheme regulating the constitution of any such local committee or district committee as aforesaid shall provide for the substantial representation on the local or district committee of persons who have within the area either as members of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association, or the Soldiers' and Sailors' Help Society, or otherwise, those to be performed by local committees under this Act.
2109§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."
§ Mr. J. SAMUELI suggest that instead of the word substantial you should state definitely some representation, and that the Government should agree, say, to two representatives of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Association, and one from the Sailors' Help Society.
§ Mr. HAYES FISHERI hope my hon. Friend will not press this point. After all, substantial representation must be proportionate to the total number which is not stated. Three would not be substantial out of thirty, but it would be very substantial out of nine. I think it would be a great pity to tie the scheme up to a definite number of three. "Substantial" is not a term usually found in the drafting of a Bill, but in this instance it gives prominence to our desire to have on these Committees those who have shown by experience, goodwill, and capacity, and desire to do this work.
§ Lords Amendment: Insert the following new Sub-section,
§ (5) For facilitating the preparation of such schemes as aforesaid the Board shall as soon as practicable prepare and issue forms of model schemes.
§ Amendment made in Lords Amendment: Leave out the word "Board" and insert instead thereof the words "Statutory Committee."
§ Lords Amendments: Insert the following new Sub-sections:—
§ (6) A local committee or district committee may also appoint sub-committees, either for any special purposes or for any special parts of their area, and any such committee may consist either wholly or partly of members of the local or district committee, and in particular may appoint a special committee which shall include representatives of employers and of labour for the care of disabled officers and men.
§ (7) Any two or more local committees may combine together for the joint exercise of any of their powers and duties under this Act, and may for that purpose appoint a joint committee, and may agree as to the proportions in which 2110 the several local committees represented on the joint committee are to contribute towards the expenses of such joint committee.—Agreed to.
§ Insert the following new Sub-section,
§ (8) A local committee may delegate to any district committee, and a local committee or district committee may delegate to any sub-committee, whether appointed for any particular locality or not, any of its powers and duties under this Act, whether with or without any restrictions of conditions as it may think fit.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Resolution."
§ Mr. SAMUELThis Sub-section proposes to give power for the delegation of powers from the local committee to the district committee or sub-committee of the district committee. I think that is really very extensive power, which has never been given to any sub-committee. I suggest that the words "may delegate to any sub-committee, whether appointed for any locality or not," should be left out, and then the Clause would read:—
"A local committee may delegate to any district committee any of its powers and duties under this Act, whether with or without any restrictions or conditions as it may think fit."
No public authority up to now has had power to delegate to sub-committees.
§ Mr. DICKINSONMay I draw attention to the fact that the power of delegation was in the Bill as it stood, and it is unnecessary in the Amendment?
§ Lords Amendments:
§ In Sub-section (4), leave out the words "Statutory Committee," and insert the word "Board."—Disagreed with.
§ Sub-section (5), leave out the words "whose lord provost or provost is as such a member of the Corporation," and insert instead thereof the words "with a population of not less than fifty thousand."— Agreed to.
§ Leave out Sub-section (6), and consequential Amendments.—Agreed to.
§ In Sub-section (1), after paragraph (d) insert the following new paragraph:
§ "(e) out of funds at their disposal, to make advances on account of pen- 2111 sions or grants or separation allowances due to any person out of public funds during any interval before the payment thereof actually commences or during which the payment thereof has been accidentally interrupted."—Agreed to.
§ Lords Amendments:
§ In Sub-section (1), paragraph (g) leave out the word "committee," and insert instead thereof the word "Board."—Disagreed with.
§ In paragraph (h) leave out the words "committee by the Corporation or," and insert instead thereof the word "Board," and consequential.—Disagreed with.
§ After Sub-section (2), insert the following new Sub-section:
§ "(3) For the purpose of making provision for the care of disabled officers and men, the Board shall appoint a special sub-committee which shall include representatives of employers and of labour."
§ Amendments made in Lords Amendment: Leave out the word "Board," and instert instead thereof the words "Statutory Committee."
§ Lords Amendment:
§ After the Sub-section last inserted, insert the following new Sub-section:
§ "(4) The Paymaster-General shall be the treasurer of the Board, and he shall keep such accounts on behalf of the Board as the Treasury may from time to time direct, and the accounts of the receipts and expenditure of the Board shall be audited in such manner and by such persons as the Treasury may from time to time direct."—Disagreed with.
§ Lords Amendment: Leave out Sub-section (3).
§ Mr. HAYES FISHERI beg to move, "That this House doth disagree with the Lords in the said Amendment," because we have restored the old machinery which was in the Bill as it left the House of Commons.
§ Lords Amendment disagreed with.
§ Lords Amendments:
§ In Sub-section (4), leave out the words "Statutory Committee," and insert instead thereof the word "Board."—Disagreed with.
2112§ In Sub-section (4), leave out the words "which shall be included in the annual report made by the Corporation."—Agreed to.
§ In Sub-section (5), leave out the words "Statutory Committee," and insert instead thereof the word "Board," and consequential Amendment.—Disagreed with.
§ In Sub-section (6), leave out the words "War Office," and insert instead thereof the words "Army Council."—Agreed to.
§ Leave out the words "Statutory Committee," and insert instead thereof the word "Board."—Disagreed with.
§ Leave out the words "Statutory Committee shall," and insert instead thereof the words "Board may."
§ Amendment made in Lords Amendment: Leave out the word "Board" and insert instead thereof the words "Statutory Committee."