Clause 45.—(GENERAL PROVISIONS AS TO PAYMENTS TO MAKE UP CIVIL REMUNERATION.) (Hansard, 30 July 1951)

§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour (Mr. Frederick Lee)
I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."
In an earlier form of the Clause the words "notification of death" appeared, and we now wish to take out the word "notification" and to insert the word "death."

§ Mr. Manningham-Buller
I should like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary, who has made his debut at this stage, the reason for this remarkable change in the Clause as it stood from the date of the notification of death to the date of death. The hon. Gentleman gave no explanation why we are suddenly asked to make this radical alteration. I think the hon. Gentleman has not completed the onerous duties which fall upon his shoulders without telling the House why he wants this Amendment made.

§ Mr. Lee
If I may speak with the leave of the House, the hon. and learned Gentleman is a trifle late. In the Bill at the moment "notification of death" does not appear; only the word "notification" appears, and we are now changing it to the time of death.

§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Local Government and Planning (Mr. Lindgren)
I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."
As the Bill left this House there was a provision in Clause 45 which required that on death any payments that were made to a widow should take into account any other payments that were to be made to her from charities or public funds. This Amendment deletes that provision and, therefore, at the same time it may throw a slightly increased cost on the Exchequer in the form of larger Exchequer grants arising from local authorities' increased payments.

§ Mr. Manningham-Buller
One of the puzzles in connection with this Bill is to decide in advance which Member of the Government will move an Amendment. We have had this puzzle all the way 1096 through the. Bill. It is, therefore, delightful to find the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Local Government and Planning taking such an interest in public and charitable funds and to find him moving an Amendment to a Clause respecting which the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour gave such a lengthy explanation.
This Amendment is obviously an improvement in the Bill. During its rapid passage, and owing to the time being short, it had escaped the notice of a great many of us that provision was being inserted in the Bill to reduce the amount payable to a widow by the amount payable to her out of other public or charitable funds.
It seems odd, indeed, that a pension should be reduced because of a payment being made out of charitable funds. I think that noble Lords on our side in another place ought to be congratulated for giving such close study to the Bill as to come across this and seek to put it right, and that the Government ought to be thanked for going a little farther than the original suggestion made in another place for remedying this defect.