HC Deb 01 August 1919 vol 118 cc2472-3

(1) The amounts payable or transferable by a county council under Sub-section (2) of Section twenty-four of the Local Government Act, 1888, on account of police in respect of the year ending the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and twenty, or any subsequent year shall, instead of being calculated in manner provided in paragraphs (i) and (j) of that Sub-section, be the amounts payable or transferable in accordance with the said paragraphs in respect of the year ending the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and fifteen, and accordingly those paragraphs shall have effect as if for the words "during the preceding year." in both places where they occur, there were substituted the words "during the year ending the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and fourteen," and Section twenty-five of the same Act shall apply with the necessary consequential modifications.

(2)This Section shall be construed as one with the Local Government Act, 1888, and shall apply to county borough councils in like manner as it applies to county councils.

Mr. FORESTIER-WALKER

I beg to move to leave out the words be the amounts payable or transferable in accordance with the said paragraphs in respect of the year ending the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and fifteen, and accordingly those paragraphs shall have effect as if for the words 'during the preceding year,' in both places where they occur, there were substituted the words 'during the year ending the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and fourteen,' and Section twenty-five of the same Act shall apply with the necessary consequential modifications, and to insert instead thereof the words be equal to the amount so paid or transferred from the Exchequer Contribution Account of each county or county borough for the financial year ended the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and fourteen. This is only a drafting Amendment. The Home Secretary is, no doubt, aware that the financial year comes at different dates, and, if this Amendment is not accepted, we shall not get the benefit for the year 1919.

Mr. DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Sir Edwin Cornwall)

I should like to be satisfied that this Amendment does not constitute an additional charge. Under the Clause I understand that the State make a contribution towards the expenses of the local authorities, calculated for the year ending 31st March, 1915. If this Amendment is carried, and the payment is made for an earlier period, to 31st March, 1914, that would be an extra charge, and the Amendment would be out of order.

Mr. SHORTT

I think it probably would be a charge. If my hon. Friend will look at the two Amendments standing in my name, he will see that the same thing is done, except that it remains 1915 instead of 1914, and if he would withdraw his Amendment and support mine, it would meet all that he wants. Another point may have escaped his notice. If it is to toe the actual amount paid, it may not meet the full amount. There may be cases where the payment may have been smaller owing to deficiencies and so on. The full amount provides that each authority will get what is prescribed under the Act, and I think the full amount, which I propose in my Amendment, would be best. Then the word "fifteen" obviates the necessity of discussing the other point as to whether or not a charge is imposed.

Mr. DEPUTY-SPEAKER

As the Amendment does impose a charge, I must rule it out of order.

Amendments made: After the word "the" ["the amounts payable"], insert the word "full."

Leave out the words and accordingly those paragraphs shall have effect as if for the words 'during the proceeding year,' in both places where they occur, there were substituted the words 'during the year ending the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and fourteen,' and Section twenty-five of the same Act shall apply with the necessary consequential smodifications."—[Mr. Shortt.]