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Lords Amendment: In page 3, line 23, leave out from "been" to "that" in line 24 and insert:
if those provisions had at that time had effect in relation thereto.
The Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Commander T. D. Galbraith)I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."
This is a drafting Amendment, designed to rectify a mistake.
§ Mr. A. Woodburn (Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire)Before we dispose of this Amendment, I ought to say, on behalf of my hon. Friends and myself, that we have no intention of filibustering or delaying the passage of the Bill, but we must intimate to the Government and the House that, in passing these Amendments, as we will, we cannot really accept any responsibility for them in the eyes of the public. We cannot be expected to do our job as an Opposition in the time allotted. We shall do our best. We do not think that sitting up all night carrying on a debate of this kind, or sitting until an hour tomorrow that would eliminate some other important debate, is the right way in which to deal with this Bill. We shall do the best we can in the time allotted, but we cannot accept any responsibility for not having dealt with the Bill in the way in which an Opposition ought.
§ Mr. HoyThe Joint Under-Secretary in moving this Amendment said it was to correct a mistake. He omitted to say what that mistake was. Perhaps he would care to explain what mistake it rectifies.
§ 11.0 p.m.
Commander GalbraithIf the hon. Member looks at the Bill, and at the Clause to which the Amendment refers, he will notice that it says
Provided that the provisions of the First Schedule to this Act …after which it saysapart from the provisions of the said First Schedule…What the Clause means isif those provisions had at that time had effect in relation thereto,938 and those are the words that we are putting in. This brings the First Schedule within the provisions of the Clause, whereas the existing words might well have excluded it.