HC Deb 23 October 1961 vol 646 cc579-81

Lords Amendment:In page 24, line 40, leave out "the next following section" and insert "twenty-two".

Dr. Hill

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

This is a purely technical point in drafting deriving from the addition of the new Clause.

Mr. M. Stewart

Could the Minister make one point plain? When we have passed this and since the right hon. Gentleman has referred to the new Clause, and, presuming that we pass that as well, will it be Clause 22? Is the Clause 22 referred to in this Amendment Clause 22 in the Bill now before us.

Dr. Hill

When the new Clause is added it will become Clause 23.

Mr. Stewart

Which one?

Dr. Hill

The one now known as Clause 22.

Mr. Stewart

Then we are referring to Clause 22. What does Clause 22 mean in respect of this Amendment. Does it mean Clause 22 in the Bill as it now stands, or does it mean the new Clause?

Dr. Hill

Clause 22 as it now stands. This Amendment is made necessary by the new Clause on registration which will follow Clause 22.

Mr. Speaker

Order. This is one of those unhappy occasions when I must acknowledge the fault to be ours and not that of Ministers. The work was done properly in another place and had we not been guilty, somehow, of a misprint the words "twenty-three" would be given instead of "twenty-two" in the matter we are now considering. We shall have it corrected on a printing basis.

Mr. Lipton

Does that mean that a manuscript Amendment will now be required?

Mr. Speaker

I shall ask the Clerk to read it again, making when he is reading it the appropriate Amendment into the form in which this House is invited to agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

Mr. Stewart

I take it that I am not speaking twice on the same Question. I think that this is a different Question. I really must press my question. Granted that we are inserting the words "twenty-three", what is to be Clause 23? Is it to be the Clause now called 22, or is it to be the new Clause which we expect to add to the Bill shortly?

Mr. Rippon

I hope I understand this point. I think that the position now is that the new Clause becomes Clause 22.

Mr. Lipton rose—

Mr. Speaker

I do not want to encourage the hon. Gentleman at the moment—

Mr. Lipton

I merely wondered whether the new Clause A was to be put after we have dealt with this numerical difficulty, Sir.

Mr. Speaker

Not yet.

Mr. Graham Page

I do not want to cause any greater confusion, but this subsection which is being amended contains the words: References to a house in sections seventeen, eighteen and the next following section"— which I understand now to be Clause 23— of this Act shall include references to a building to which this section"— that is, Clause 20— applies The word "house" occurs, if I can anticipate this, in the new Clause with which we may be dealing in a moment. I should have thought that the definition of "house" in Clause 20 would apply to the new Clause 22 as well as to the present Clause 22 which will become Clause 23.

Dr. Hill

If I may, with leave, add a word, I think that the difficulty will be cleared up when we have dealt with the next Amendment, which is the main Amendment, involving a new Clause.

Question put and agreed to.