HC Deb 24 June 1947 vol 439 cc215-7

3.42 p.m.

The Minister of Fuel and Power (Mr. Shinwell)

I beg to move, in page 2, line 41, to leave out from "in," to "and," in line 42, and to insert: such part of the area of that other Area Board as may be specified in the authorisation. On the Committee stage of the Bill, the right hon. Member for Southport (Mr. R. S. Hudson) moved an Amendment which related to the provision of bulk supplies by one area board to another. He made the submission w.hich, in effect, was intended to make more specific the arrangements between area boards. I thought that there was substance in the right hon. Gentleman's contention and promised to provide a form of words which would be suitable. I have done so, and the effect of this Amendment will be that, where the Central Authority issue an authorisation to one area board to supply electricity to consumers in the area of another area board, that authorisation shall apply only to such part of the area as is specified, and not to the whole area. It is a very simple point, and this Amendment is intended to clarify the position.

Mr. R. S. Hudson (Southport)

I am much obliged to the right hon. Gentleman. He has met the point we submitted to him, and we are very grateful.

Amendment agreed to.

The Solicitor-General (Sir Frank Soskice)

I beg to move, in page 3, line 10, to leave out "The policy of," and to insert: In exercising and performing their functions. This and a number of the succeeding Amendments relate to the same topic. The object of this series of Amendments is to meet a criticism which was made by hon. Members opposite in Committee and which was directed to the vagueness, as they felt, of the words: The policy of the Electricity Boards shall …be directed to securing Hon. Members criticised those words as leaving the matter very much in the air, and they pressed my right hon. Friend to change them, and to introduce instead some wording which would make clearer the duty that was being imposed on the electricity boards. We have sought to remedy that defect, and we have, instead, provided more specific duties in relation to each of the paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) We have also made specific reference to the extension to rural areas. We hope that hon. Members opposite will feel that the position is now clarified, and that the duties incumbent on the boards are precisely set out. That, we feel, meets the criticism which was made, with regard to which we felt there was some substance, namely, that the words quoted above do not specify with sufficient clarity what is placed on the boards and what is their duty.

Mr. R. S. Hudson

Again, we are obliged to the Government. This is a concession of substance and this Amendment and the succeeding ones substantially meet the point that the Opposition made in Committee. Briefly it puts, as we believe it ought to put, a legal obligation on the boards to carry out the specified duty. The original Clause did not have this effect and merely amounted to a series of pious intentions. We think that the Amendments substantially improve the Bill.

Amendment agreed to.

Consequential Amendments made.