§ Order for Committee read.
§ The following Notices of Motion stood upon the Order Paper:
"That it be an Instruction to the Committee on the Bill that they have power to insert a provision relating to the disregarding of any weekly payments by way of compensation under the enactments relating to workmen's compensation and to extend such provision to Scotland and to Northern Ireland."—[Mr. Greenwood.]
"That it be an Instruction to the Committee on the Bill that they have power to insert a provision relating to relief by way of loan to secure uniformity throughout Great Britain in respect of this provision." —[Mr. Buchanan.]
§ Mr. SPEAKERI have given careful consideration to the Instruction standing in the name of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Wakefield (Mr. Greenwood) and have come to the conclusion that it is out of order. Apart from that portion of it which proposes to extend the provisions of this Bill to Northern Ireland which, of course, would be out of order, if the Instruction were accepted and the consequential Amendments made to the Bill, the title of the Bill could, it is true, be amended, but I have to take into consideration not only the title of the Bill, but the declared intention of the Bill as it was when this House gave it a Second Reading. I have carefully studied the reports of the speeches both of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health when introducing the Bill and of the Minister of Health in making a reply to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Wakefield, and it is quite clear that the Bill is one to bring the English law into conformity with the existing Scottish law. If I allowed the Instruction, I should be allowing the House to consider in Committee a Bill which was not the same Bill as that to which the House had given a Second Reading.
§ 11.9 a.m.
§ Mr. GREENWOODIt is true that this English Bill is intended to bring our law into line with the Scottish Bill which was passed by this House a little time ago. The Scottish Act from which 1432 this Bill derives was brought before the House because of difficulties which had arisen on questions affecting unemployed persons, and the Poor Law was amended to bring the law of Scotland into line with the law in regard to the treatment of persons receiving transitional payments. They did that in the Scottish Act in all respects except one, that of workmen's compensation. Our view was that as that Act had an earlier history than the English Bill, we should be justified in asking the Government to widen the scope of the Bill in order to include the one consideration which was left out of the Scottish Act when it was before the House.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman will agree that the Bill that we considered the other night and to which this House gave a Second Reading was only concerned with bringing the English law into complete conformity with the existing Scottish law. If I had allowed any other consideration to be brought before the House, the Debate might have been considerably prolonged, as no doubt many hon. Members would have liked to take part in it. As it was, this Bill is that to which the House gave a Second Reading. I think the right hon. Gentleman will agree that, in conformity with the practice of this House, to allow an Instruction of this sort would make the Bill a different one from that to which the House gave a Second Reading. In regard to the Instruction in the name of the hon. Member for Gorbals (Mr. Buchanan), I am quite clear that it would be unnecessary, because he can move his Amendment without that Instruction.
§ Bill considered in Committee.
§ [Sir DENNIS HERBERT in the Chair.]
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cc1432-67
- CLAUSE 1.—(Amendment of 20 Geo. 5. c. 17. s. 48.) 14,299 words, 2 divisions