HC Deb 28 October 1954 vol 531 cc2264-5

Considered in Committee under Standing Order No. 84 (Money Committees) [Queen's recommendation signified.]

[SIR CHARLES MACANDREW in the Chair]

Motion made, and Question proposed, That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session to continue certain expiring laws, it is expedient to authorise—

  1. (a) the payment out of moneys provided by Parliament of such expenses as may be occasioned by the continuance of the Cotton Manufacturing Industry (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1934, the Road Traffic Act, 1934, and the Population (Statistics) Act, 1938, until the thirty-first day of December, nineteen hundred and fifty-five; and of the Rent of Furnished Houses Control (Scotland) Act, 1943, the Furnished Houses (Rent Control) Act, 1946, and the Licensing Act, 1953, until the thirty-first day of March, nineteen hundred and fifty-six, being expenses which under any Act are to be defrayed out of such moneys; and
  2. (b) such issues out of the Consolidated Fund, the raising of such moneys under the National Loans Act, 1939, and such payments into the Exchequer, as may be occasioned by the continuance of the Civil Contingencies Fund Act, 1952, until the thirty-first day of December, nineteen hundred and fifty-five.—[Mr. H. Brooke.]

10.0 p.m.

Mr. Glenvil Hall (Colne Valley)

As we have been moving very swiftly in the last few minutes, this should be a good opportunity to have a few words in explanation from the Financial Secretary. I am delighted to see him here and I feel that it would be rather unfair to him to bring him here and give him nothing to do. Will the hon. Gentleman explain what the Resolution means?

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Henry Brooke)

I should very much like to respond to the right hon. Gentleman's request, but as he knows, debate on this Motion is limited, as it has been ruled in the past that detail about the various Acts that are included in an Expiring Laws Continuance Bill cannot be debated either on Second Reading of the Bill or in our discussions of the Money Resolution.

Therefore, all that I am in a position to do is to say that if the House of Commons has given, as it has, a Second Reading to the Bill, and if the House, in Committee, wishes to examine what is undoubtedly the meat of the Bill, that is to say, the inclusion or non-inclusion of certain Acts in the Schedule, it is necessary to pass this Money Resolution, which indicates the financial implications of the continuance of the Acts. Beyond that, I feel sure that I should be going out of order. I apologise for not being able to assist the right hon. Gentleman, but he and I are both equally bound by the rules of procedure.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolution to be reported Tomorrow.