HC Deb 20 June 1951 vol 489 cc599-600

Lords Amendment: In page 15, line43, at end, insert: (2) This Act shall come into operation on the twenty-fourth day of June, nineteen hundred and fifty-one.

The Attorney-General

I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."

The object of the Amendment is to make it apparent on the face of the Bill when the Bill will come into operation. It is hoped that it will come into operation at a date which will very closely approximate to a date when, if our hopes are realised, both Houses of Parliament will have agreed on its provisions. We think that, on reflection, it is desirable that there should be some provision making it clear when the Bill is to operate.

Mr. Manningham-Buller

I think that this is the last Amendment which does not come within the description, whether technical or otherwise, of consequential, and is the last Amendment of any substance at the conclusion of the consideration of the Bill in this House which has taken up a great deal of the time of the House. I do not complain about that, but I think that if the Government had adopted a different attitude the time taken might have been shorter.

The Amendment effects an improvement in the Bill. I think that it was suggested in the earlier stages of the Bill and, like so many other of our suggestions, was not then accepted. The total effect of many other Amendments—I think, indeed, all of them—which have been made both here and in another place has been to improve this Measure very considerably, to make it easier to understand and fairer in its operations. I can only say that if more of our suggestions had been accepted, I should have been able to commend this Measure much more strongly than I am able to do at the present time.

Remaining Lords Amendments agreed to.

Committee appointed to draw up reasons to be assigned to the Lords for disagreeing to certain of their Amendments to the Bill: The Attorney-General, Mr. Donnelly, Mr. George Thomas, Mr. Selwyn Lloyd and Mr. Manningham-Buller; Three to be the quorum.—[The Attorney-General.]

To withdraw immediately.

Reasons for disagreeing to certain of the Lords Amendments reported, and agreed to; to be communicated to the Lords.