HC Deb 04 December 1961 vol 650 cc1060-1
Mr. Woodhouse

I beg to move, in page 6, line 40, to leave out from "therewith" to "may" in line 4 on page 7 and to insert regulations under section four of this Act may make provision—

  1. (a) in the case of default in the payment of any charge payable by an operator under the regulations, for authorising the detention, pending payment, of the aircraft in respect of which the charge was incurred or of any other aircraft of which the person in default is the operator at the time when the detention begins;
  2. (b) in the case of default in complying with any requirement imposed by the regulations on the operators of aircraft with respect to the production for inspection, or the furnishing of particulars, of any records, for authorising the detention, pending compliance, of any aircraft of which the person in default is the operator at the time when the detention begins;
and such regulations". I apologise for imposing on the House such a seemingly elaborate Amendment at this stage. It is, in effect, an extremely small Amendment. The purpose of the Clause is to ensure that a defaulting operator is liable to have his aircraft detained until he has discharged his default, whether it is failing to pay money or failing to keep records. In the Clause as drafted, it appears that an operator whose aircraft was detained in this way could, by selling the aircraft or transferring it to another operator, who might be himself under another name—that is, unfortunately, the kind of thing which has happened in recent times—get away with it and obtain the release of his aircraft. The object of the Amendment is to close that final loophole.

Mr. Cronin

We on this side see no objection to the Amendment. It seems a desirable one. It would appear fortunate that there was delay in the passage of the Committee stage in that it enabled the Minister to have second thoughts. I am glad that he has taken advantage of the delay so felicitously.

Mr. Woodhouse

The second thoughts could have been had in another place.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 8 and 9 ordered to stand part of the Bill.