HC Deb 07 July 1947 vol 439 cc1931-3
Commander Galbraith

I beg to move, in page 34, line 44, at the end, to insert: Provided that no person having any pecuniary interest in the business of advertising shall be a member of such tribunal. The purpose of this Amendment is to make certain that no one is appointed as a member of this tribunal, which is to consider advertising, who has any pecuniary interest in the business of advertising. I presume the right hon. Gentleman will be perfectly agreeable to accept the Amendment.

Colonel J. R. H. Hutchison

I beg to second the Amendment which. I think, is very reasonable, and is in accordance with many other instances of a similar nature.

Mr. Boothby (Aberdeen and Kincardine, Eastern)

I must make a declaration of interest in this matter in so far as I am a director of a bill-posting company, but I assure the House that it makes no difference to my remuneration whether this Amendment is carried or not. If this Amendment is carried, other interested parties in the advertising business should also be excluded; for example, various amenity organisations, local authorities themselves, and representatives of local authorities. It is only fair, if we are to exclude the advertisers themselves, that we should also exclude the other side, so that no interested party should be a member of the tribunal. Nevertheless, with all due deference to my leaders, I do not think this Amendment is necessary, because the Secretary of State would not appoint any person who had a pecuniary interest.

Mr. McAllister

1 wish to associate myself with the remarks of the hon. Member for East Aberdeen (Mr. Boothby), and it is necessary for me to declare my interest as a director of an advertising company. I think those who have put down the Amendment have rather misjudged the advertising profession. The Secretary of State for Scotland and the Minister of Town and Country Planning will agree that the advertising profession have given the utmost cooperation in the preparation of the Clauses of the Bill and the part of the Bill designed to restrict unseemly and undignified advertising.

The Lord Advocate

I do not think it is really necessary to make this Amendment. The phrase "independent tribunal" is itself a sufficient guide and, moreover, the words "pecuniary interest" are a little vague, and might lead to considerable difficulty in defining what a pecuniary interest is

Amendment negatived.

Mr. Westwood

I beg to move, in page 35, line 36, at the end, to insert: (6) Nothing in this section or in any regulations made thereunder shall be construed as authorising the restriction or regulation of the display of any advertisement by reason only of the subject matter or wording thereof. This Amendment is for the purpose of meeting an undertaking given by the Joint Under-Secretary in Committee that we would include in the Bill a provision making it clear that there should be no censorship over the contents of advertisements.

Amendment agreed to.