HC Deb 03 June 1957 vol 571 cc977-80
Mr. Ross

I beg to move, in page 10, line 5, to leave out "and not otherwise" and to insert "only'.

I will not pretend that this Amendment deals with a very important matter, but, that being so, perhaps the Government will accept it. The Government said in Committee that they were terrified of these words. The Solicitor-General said that the words had a rather horrible look about them. The Bill has a sufficiently horrible look about it without leaving in these words which, it is freely admitted, do not enhance the beauty of the Bill.

The Solicitor-General said, later, that he was open to suggestions on the subject and I propose that we should insert the word "only" instead of the rather horrible phrase now there. The Solicitor-General implied that he wanted to leave it absolutely clear that money could be requisitioned only from a receiving authority. The simple thing to do is obviously to insert the word "only". Provided that I can have an assurance that the Government will accept the Amendment, I will sit down.

Mr. James H. Hoy (Leith)

I beg to second the Amendment.

The Solicitor-General for Scotland

I recommend the House to accept the Amendment. I always believe in brevity. The expression is shorter than that now in the Bill and has the same effect.

Mr. Woodburn

I compliment the Solicitor-General on having drawn a lesson from the General Assembly and turning the other cheek. That was certainly not his attitude upstairs.

Amendment agreed to.