FINANCE BILL (Hansard, 17 June 1952)

§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. R. A. Butler)
I beg to move, That the Bill be re-committed to a Committee of the whole House in respect of the Amendments to Clause 43, page 49, line 42 and page 50, line 11; Clause 45, page 51, lines 11, 13, 24, 26 and 38 and page 52, line 24; Clause 46, page 52, line 42 and page 53, line 6; Clause 57, page 65, line 8; and Schedule 12, page 122, line 9, standing on the Notice Paper in the name of Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer. We are re-committing the Bill according to normal procedure and have taken the normal course of moving the Motion, notwithstanding the practice of the House, because these are matters of very small technicality and there is some doubt whether they would not impose a charge. In the circumstances it was thought necessary to re-commit the Bill.
The Amendment to Clause 43 is to deal with a point raised by the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Huyton (Mr. H. Wilson). The Amendments to Clauses 45 and 46 are to deal with points raised by the former Solicitor-General, and the Amendment to Clause 57 is to deal with a point raised by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Renfrew, East (Major Guy Lloyd). The Amendment to the Twelfth Schedule is purely drafting. The Amendments are, therefore, to meet points put by right hon. Gentlemen opposite and by my hon. and gallant Friend and one Amendment is drafting; they are not of major substance but in themselves they improve the Bill, and owing to the doubt about imposing a charge I am sure it was right to move to re-commit. I hope we need not spend very long on the re-committal and may then come to the substance of the Report stage.

§ Mr. Frederick Mulley (Sheffield, Park)
On a point of order. Is it your intention, Mr. Speaker, to call my Amendment to the re-committal Motion?

§ Mr. Speaker
The hon. Gentleman's Amendment is not selected, and the Amendment in the name of the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Renton) is preparatory to a new Clause and is out of order as going beyond the Ways and Means Resolution.

§ Mr. Hugh Gaitskell (Leeds, South)
Perhaps I might clarify the proceedings by saying that the Opposition see no reason for objecting to the re-committal Motion. As the Chancellor has pointed out, it is designed to meet points raised by right hon. and hon. Friends of mine during the Committee stage. I am not clear about the position of the Amendment in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Park (Mr. Mulley). Do I understand that it is not in order?

Mr, Speaker
It is not selected.

§ Mr. Gaitskell
I cannot argue with you on that point, Mr. Speaker, and I can only express my regret. Perhaps you will allow me to say that the Amendment was put down by my hon. Friend because of Amendments made by the Chancellor during the Committee stage. He had no earlier opportunity of moving the Amendment, though it is true that he referred to the matter during the Committee stage. We are in your hands, Mr. Speaker, and, having said that, I must leave the matter there.

§ Mr. Mulley
I appreciate that the Amendment has not been called, Mr. Speaker, but I should like to protest to the Chancellor about the terms of his Motion, for he could well have worded it to include the E.P.L. Clauses generally, and so give hon. Members an opportunity to put down Amendments which we did not wish to put down at about six hours' notice when 100 Amendments were put on the Order Paper by the Chancellor during the Committee stage. We have had no opportunity of putting down Amendments to a number of changes which the right hon. Gentleman has introduced into E.P.L. It would have been more courteous to the Committee to have moved to re-commit these Clauses instead of merely the Clauses and the detailed Amendments in his own name.