ROAD TRAFFIC BILL. (Hansard, 28 June 1934)

§ The MINISTER of TRANSPORT (Mr. Oliver Stanley)

I beg to move, That the Bill be recommitted to a Committee of the Whole House in respect of the Amendments in Clause 1, page 3, lines 14 and 26,. in Clause 15, page 14, lines 2 and 4, and in Clause 21, page 16, lines 19 and 27, standing on the Notice Paper in the name of Mr. Stanley. It is necessary for me to move the recommittal of the Bill in respect of these Amendments. The Amendment in Clause 1, page 3, line 14, has been put down as the result of a pledge I gave the Committee during the discussions on Clause 1. As the Bill was drafted and considered by the Committee the duty was placed on highway authorities to erect a sign in respect of those portions of the road which were brought under the definition of a built-up area, or excluded from it by the machinery of the Clause, but no conditions were made for sign-posting of restricted areas which fell under the general definition of a built-up area. I was impressed by some of the arguments advanced with regard to the necessity of sign posting these areas, and as a consequence I gave a pledge which this Amendment carries out. As it alters in some respects the duties of highway authorities it is necessary to re-commit the Bill in that respect. The next Amendment in respect of which the Bill is recommitted is also in Clause 1, on line 26, and this is necessitated purely by a point of procedure. At the time when we passed the Amendment in Committee the phrase "urban district" covered both urban district councils and non-county boroughs, but subsequently certain provisions of the Local Government Act came into force and the term "urban district" no longer covers non-county boroughs. It is, therefore, necessary to make a drafting Amendment. The two Amendments to Clause 15 are only drafting Amendments, but as they refer to the duties put upon highway authorities they have to be considered again in Committee. The Amendments to Clause 21 are necessitated by a new Clause which 1318 was moved by the hon. Member for Stone (Sir J. Lamb). I warned him at the time that while I accepted the principle it might be necessary to introduce certain Amendments to safeguard the position of other local authorities, and these Amendments are the result of conferences between all the authorities concerned. As the effect may be in certain cases to alter the incidence of the charge as between different local authorities it is necessary for them to be reconsidered in Committee.