§ Lords Amendment: In page 16, line 29, to leave out "solely or partly" and insert "wholly or mainly".
§ Mr. VosperI beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.
On the final stage of the Bill in this House, the hon. Member for Islington, East (Mr. Fletcher) moved an Amendment to make certain that local authorities should not take advantage of Section 132 of the Local Government Act, 1948, to run a municipally-owned casino, and that was the general wish of the House. As I previously advised the House, it is most unlikely that advantage would be so taken. The hon. Member's Amendment made certain, but he said it would require some modification. That is the purpose of this and the subsequent Amendment, to leave out line 31 and insert a new proviso, which perhaps we may take together.
As that Amendment was drafted, it would have included the use of a card room in a municipally-owned golf 1769 course, of which there are many, and the use of a room in a public hall for a whist drive or something of that nature, which I am sure was not the intention. Therefore by the alteration of the words in the first Amendment we have taken care of something, in a way in which I am sure the House would wish us to do.
One further point. As the Amendment was drafted it would have excluded what it is intended to legalise in another part of the Bill, the provision of amusements for prizes on the pier at Southend or in some such place. Therefore, the proviso in the second Amendment is designed to see that the provision which the House has legalised shall not be prevented by the hon. Gentleman's Amendment.
§ Mr. FletcherI was responsible for proposing the new Clause during the Report stage and I am perfectly content with the Amendment moved by the right hon. Gentleman. I agree that it is an improvement to substitute the words "wholly or mainly" for the words "solely or partly".
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Subsequent Lords Amendment made.