HC Deb 22 March 1948 vol 448 cc2710-1

Lords Amendment: Page 41, line I, leave out from "act" to first "as" in line 2.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."—[Mr. J. Edwards.]

Colonel Wheatley

This is a very important Amendment. It was moved in Committee by my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton (Mr. Amory), and the Minister undertook to consider it again. He rather gave the impression that the Inland Revenue regulations would prevent a valuation officer being a member of a local authority, but we never heard the conclusion of Minister's investigation, because the relevant Amendment was not called on the Report stage. However, it has now come before this House, and I wish to say again that it is a very valuable Amendment which the Minister has done well to accept.

Mr. Challen (Hampstead)

I do not want to speak on quite the same point as my hon. Friend, but on the Amendment which follows on line 30. I do not know whether I would be in Order in making observations now. I am rather puzzled as to just when I should break in.

Mr. Speaker

I am a little diffident, after the last incident, about saying how far we can go in putting the Amendments en bloc. But I thought that all these Amendments on page 41 might hang together for the convenience of the House.

Lieut.-Colonel Elliot

I would have thought that, for the convenience of the House, the Amendments down to line 16 hang together distinctly. But the Amendments from line 30 to the foot of the page make a different group, some of my hon. Friends think. As far as line i6, we think they hang together, as has already been mentioned.

Mr. Speaker

Then I think the hon. Member's point will come in later.