§ 1.18 p.m.
§ Mr. Bing (Hornchurch)I beg to move, in page 2, line 27, at the beginning, to insert:
In order to remove doubts it is hereby declared that.I do not think that at this stage we need take a great deal of time in considering this Amendment, but I have to move it again as a pure technicality, if I may so describe the Rules of the House. The House had a fairly full discussion on it when we met last Friday. Perhaps it would be for the convenience of the House to discuss at the same time the third of the Amendments standing in the names of my hon. Friends the Member for North Islington (Dr. Guest) and the Member for Coatbridge (Mrs. Mann) and myself, in page 2, line 30, to leave out "shall be," and to insert "is." The object of the Amendment, which we canvassed at some length on the last occasion on which this Bill was before us, is to make certain that the law is made apparent and that there is no question that there has been any illegal activity by a midwife in administering analgesia prior to the passing of this Bill, supposing that the House gives it its Third Reading.The course of our proceedings has shown how wise were those of us who insisted last week on investigating these matters thoroughly. I do not object to the fact that some of my hon. Friends felt that I should perhaps speak rather longer than I had intended on the matter, but as we canvassed it so thoroughly last week, I will not say any more now.
§ Dr. Haden Guest (Islington, North)I beg to second the Amendment.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Mr. BingI beg to move, in page 2, line 28, to leave out from the beginning to "by" in line 29 and to insert, "the manner approved."
It may be convenient at the same time to consider the Amendment in line 31, to leave out from "accordance" to the end of line 33, and to insert "therewith."
I hope the House will not think I am delaying matters if I say a word or two upon this Amendment, which raises a rather different point from any discussed last week. As the hon. Member for Monmouth (Mr. P. Thorneycroft) will appreciate, the difficulty of the Clause as drafted is that if a midwife has been instructed in one form of analgesia, she is then entitled to administer any form. That is clearly not what the hon. Gentleman intended. Now we have removed that in the first Clause by the Amendment with reference to the rules; and it is most undesirable that this Clause should deal with any certified midwife who has received instruction in accordance with the rules. It may well be that the Board would secure the training of a midwife in these matters by methods other than by rules. We have heard criticisms from hon. Member opposite about working to rules, but they would appear to wish to make it a statutory duty for midwives at any rate to work to rules. We propose in this case to leave out all reference to midwives working to rules, so that the Clause would now read:
In order to remove doubts it is hereby declared that any certified midwife who has received instruction in the manner approved by the Board in the administration of analgesia to women in childbirth shall be entitled to administer analgesia in accordance therewith.I hope that the House will accept this Amendment without very long discussion so that we can be in a position to deal with the whole issue of the Third Reading, on which more serious points do arise.
Dr. GuestI beg to second the Amendment. I would refer also to the Amendment in page 2, line 30, to leave out "shall be" and to insert "is." so that the Clause would read:
… women in childbirth is entitled …
§ Mr. BingI was reading the Clause without prejudging the decision of the House in regard to that Amendment.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Mr. BingI beg to move, in page 2, line 30, to leave out "shall be," and to insert "is."
This is consequential on the Amendment to line 27 which the House has already made.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Mr. BingI beg to move, in page 2, line 31, to leave out from "accordance," to the end of line 33, and to insert "therewith."
This Amendment is consequential on the Amendment to page 2, line 28, which the House has already accepted.
§ Amendment agreed to.