§ Not amended (in the Standing Committee), considered.
§ 12 midnight
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sir Hugh Lucas-Tooth)I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read the Third time."
The purpose of this Bill is to empower the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District to borrow additional sums not exceeding £5 million. The House will remember that the Bill received a unanimous Second Reading. The Bill will provide houses for Metropolitan policemen and their families, and single men's quarters. There were no Amendments on the Committee or Report stages and I hope that the House will give the Bill a speedy Third Reading, so that it can be passed into law.
§ Mr. Geoffrey de Freitas (Lincoln)We have listened for many hours to hon. Members from Scotland discussing a matter concerning them, and I trust I 2492 shall not be considered unduly parochial if I spend a very few moments on a Bill concerning police protection of the capital city of the United Kingdom, which covers a population of probably twice that of Scotland. This will not be a matter of kilowatts or Kidderminsters and other interventions from below the Gangway. We have no Metropolitan Grand Committee to discuss domestic points and leave the broad general principles to be dealt with by the House, so I think we are entitled to just a minute.
This Bill was welcomed with enthusiasm by the Opposition at all stages; indeed their enthusiasm in Committee will be remembered by the hon. Gentleman, because we provided the majority, and most of the enthusiasm. I do commend the Bill to the House. It is a borrowing Bill, like the last one, but it is very much less controversial. It is not to produce any electricity but better police protection for the Metropolis and the capital city of this country. I hope that the House will give it a Third Reading.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed.