HC Deb 23 June 1961 vol 642 cc1913-4
Mr. Hay

I beg to move, in page 9, line 29, to leave out "of Transport".

This is purely a drafting Amendment. It is unnecessary to refer to the Minister as the Minister of Transport, because Section 295 of the Highways Act says that throughout that Act, with which this Bill will have to be read, any reference to the Minister means the Minister of Transport.

Mr. MacColl

I have been disciplining myself most severely throughout the afternoon in order to do all I could to help the hon. Gentleman get his Bill through, but I am relieved to have the Parliamentary Secretary's reason for this Amendment. I thought that it was the final recognition that his right hon. Friend the Minister had given up any attempt to do anything about transport at all, and that this was just the final recognition of an acknowledged fact; that the right hon. Gentleman has ceased to have any really effective administrative powers at all. I am grateful to know that I am wrong.

Mr. Hay

It would have been susceptible of another explanation—that my right hon. Friend had tried to take over the whole of the Government.

Mr. Wigg

May we be told by the Government which is right?

Amendment agreed to.