HC Deb 09 July 1931 vol 254 cc2427-9

"Any person aggrieved by the removal of his name from the Register, or by a determination of the Council that he be disqualified for registration during any period, may, within three months from the date on which notice of the removal or determination was served on him, appeal to the High Court or Court of Session against the removal or determination, and on any such appeal the Court may give such directions in the matter as they think proper, and the order of the Court shall be final."

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House doth agree with the Lords with the said Amendment."

Mr. WINTERTON

It is not my desire to keep the House long. [HON. MEMBERS: "Agreed".] I always understood that it was part of my duty as a Member of the House of Commons to scrutinise Amendments which come from another place and I am going to exercise my right in that respect, all the more determinedly in this case, because I raised this point previously and sought to have it put right. Owing to the complicated character of this Bill and a difficulty similar to that which we are now experiencing in dealing with these Amendments, it was not possible to get in words to put the matter right. The point is a very simple one. A man who is already on the register of architects has in this new Clause the safeguard of being able to appeal against removal; but, if for any reason a man who deems himself to be qualified as an architect is not put on the register, there is no procedure provided by which the refusal to put him on can be challenged. We have a manuscript Amendment——

Mr. SPEAKER

I cannot accept any more manuscript Amendments.

Mr. WINTERTON

You have it in your possession, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. SPEAKER

I have the manuscript, but I have not had time to read it.

Mr. WINTERTON

I acknowledge the difficult position in which you are placed by having these Amendments at the last moment, but I understood that there was a desire on the part of the Government to do something which was not done in the House of Lords and to provide for an appeal in case of refusal to put a man's name in the register. It is a simple Amendment and will deal with a grave injustice. While apologising for handing in this Amendment so late, I hope the House will see the injustice of the position of such a man. The promoter of the Bill himself has expressed to me his willingness to put this right.

Mr. SPEAKER

I am afraid that I have already put the Question, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment," and I cannot accept an Amendment after I have put that Question.

Mr. McSHANE

On a point of Order. I want to apologise for the difficulty which has arisen. We have been trying to meet the Government on this matter in order to get the Bill through and enable Members to get home. When the business of the House was announced last week, there was no reference whatever to this Bill being taken this week. I was closely watching for it. We were arranging that as soon as the business was announced, these Amendments would be put down. The summary treatment that we are receiving from some hon. Members, not all of whom know what the Bill is——

Mr. JAMES GARDNER

Is this a point of Order?

Mr. McSHANE

I am quite serious. We will not inconvenience the House by these Amendments; they can be quickly dealt with, and we can finish by 12 o'clock. We are honestly trying to make this a better Bill, and we appeal to be allowed to have the opportunity.

Mr. SPEAKER

I am afraid that I cannot put the Amendment this time.

Mr. WINTERTON

May I point out that immediately the Question was put to leave out Clause 11 and to insert the new Clause E, I rose to say that I desired to move an Amendment.

Mr. SPEAKER

I put the Question because I cannot accept the Amendment.

Question, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment," put, and agreed to.

Subsequent Lords Amendments, to page 10, line 32, agreed to.