HC Deb 02 November 1916 vol 86 cc1872-3

(1) This Act may be cited as the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1916, and the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act, 1889, Prevention of Corruption Act, 1906, and this Act may be cited together as the Prevention of Corruption Acts, 1906 and 1916.

(2) In this Act the expression "public body" has the same meaning as in the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act, 1889.

Amendments made: In Sub-section (1), after "1889," insert the word "the." In Sub-section (2), after the word "Act" ["in this Act"], insert the following words: "(a) the expression 'consideration ' has the same meaning as in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1906; and (b) ".—[Commander Wedgwood.]

The LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. Munro)

I beg to move, at the end of Sub-section (2) to add the following new Sub-section:

(3) Sub-section (3) of Section one of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1906, shall in its application to Scotland be read and construed as if a town council, a parish council, a school board, and a district committee were specified in addition to the councils named therein.

Apparently in the Act of 1906 the councils which were specified in that Sub-section were not translated in their application to Scotland. That was an oversight in regard to that Act, and I think it ought to be remedied now. I would apologise to the Committee for not having put this Amendment on the Paper, but the House rose early last night and I was unable to do so. It is a purely drafting Amendment.

Sir H. DALZIEL

I do not oppose this Amendment now, but I wish to enter my protest against its not being upon the Paper, although I heard what the Lord Advocate said about that. This is a very important Bill, and now that it is going to be applied to Scotland it is really, due to the Committee that we ought not to pass this Bill until we see the Amendments on the Paper and have time to consider them. I hope, therefore, that there will be an interval between the Committee and the Report stages, so that we may see what the Amendments of the right hon. Gentleman really mean. I should like to ask him is it intended that in Scotland only the Lord Advocate can authorise a prosecution?

Mr. MUNRO

Certainly.

Amendment agreed to:

Question, " That the Clause, as Amended, stand part of the Bill " put, and agreed to.