§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. T. Johnston)I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."
I do not know whether the House will expect an elaborate explanation of this 2049 Measure or not. It is a counterpart of the Measure which has already been accepted by this House for England and Wales. It provides simply for the stabilisation of Exchequer grants to local authorities in Scotland until such period after the war as Parliament may determine. The stabilisation proposals in the Measure have been agreed to by the three principal local authority organisations concerned.
§ Mr. Mathers (Linlithgow)I rise only for the purpose of assuring the right hon. Gentleman that we consider that the provisions in this Bill are necessary and inevitable in the present circumstances and we hope the Bill will speedily pass into law.
§ Lieut.-Colonel Sir Thomas Moore (Ayr Burghs)I should like to say that we who have studied this Bill from the back benches are also agreed that it is necessary and we support my right hon. Friend in introducing it.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Bill read a Second time.
§ Bill Committed to a Committee of the Whole House, for the next Sitting Day.—[Major Dugdale.]