HC Deb 04 January 1916 vol 77 cc916-7

The Minister of Munitions may make arrangements with any other Government Department for the exercise and performance by that Department of any of his powers and duties under the principal Act or this Act which appear to him to be such as could be more conveniently so exercised and performed, and in such case the Department and the officers of the Department shall have the same powers and duties for the purpose as are by the principal Act and this Act conferred on the Minister of Munitions and his officers.

Mr. HOLT

I beg to move, at the end of the Clause, to add the words "Provided that notice of the delegation of any powers and duties to any other Government Department, with the name of such Department and the powers and duties so delegated, shall be first published in the 'Gazette,' or in the Board of Trade Journal.'"

I think that public notice should be given, so that the people interested in these matters should know that the powers have been delegated. That would be very convenient for a large number of people.

Mr. T. DAVIES

I beg to second the Amendment.

Mr. LLOYD GEORGE

This proposal would be reasonable applied to substantial delegations, or some substantial duties, but we may often have to hand over to other Departments some trivial matters, and other Departments, such as the War Office and the Admiralty, may have to do the same with regard to us, and it would be very inconvenient if every time an arrangement of that kind were entered into we should have to publish a notification. It would be almost impossible to do so, and would interfere with the carrying out of matters.

Mr. HOLT

I should be satisfied if the right hon. Gentleman would give me a Parliamentary assurance that in the case of important matters notice would be given.

Mr. LLOYD GEORGE

That I will undertake to do. I am afraid the Amendment as proposed would hamper business.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.