HC Deb 07 November 1952 vol 507 cc555-6

Motion made, and Question proposed, That a Select Committee be appointed to consider every Statutory Instrument laid or laid in draft before the House, being an Instrument or Draft of an Instrument upon which proceedings may be or might have been taken in either House in pursuance of any Act of Parliament, with a view to determining whether the special attention of the House should be drawn to it on any of the following grounds:—

  1. (i) that it imposes a charge on the public revenues or contains provisions requiring payments to be made to the Exchequer or any Government Department or to any local or public authority in consideration of any licence or consent, or of any services to be rendered, or prescribes the amount of any such charge or payments;
  2. (ii) that it is made in pursuance of an enactment containing specific provisions excluding it from challenge in the courts, either at all times or after the expiration of a specified period;
  3. (iii) that it appears to make some unusual or unexpected use of the powers conferred by the Statute under which it is made;
  4. (iv) that it purports to have retrospective effect where the parent Statute confers no express authority so to provide;
  5. (v) that there appears to have been unjustifiable delay in the publication or in the laying of it before Parliament;
  6. (vi) that there appears to have been unjustifiable delay in sending a notification to Mr. Speaker under the proviso to subsection (1) of section four of the Statutory Instruments Act, 1946, where an Instrument has come into operation before it has been laid before Parliament;
  7. (vii) that for any special reason its form or purport calls for elucidation;
and if they so determine, to report to that effect—[Mr. R. Thompson.]

It being after Four o'Clock and objection being taken to further Proceeding, the debate stood adjourned.

Debate to be resumed upon Monday next.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House do now adjourn."—[Mr. R. Thompson.]