§ As respects offences committed after the commencement of this Act, for sections two hundred and forty and two hundred and forty-six of the principal Act there shall be substituted the sections set out in the Schedule (Offences in Scotland) to this Act.—[Mr. Brooman-White.]
§ Brought up, and read the First time.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. R. Brooman-White)I beg to move, That the Clause be read a Second time.
Perhaps it would be convenient, with this Motion, to consider the other Amendments on the Notice Paper which form part of the same operation. There is the Amendment on page 22, line 29 to leave out Clause 37. There is the new Schedule which replaces the old Clause and the consequential Amendments to the Fourth Schedule in lines 9 and 24.
§ Mr. Deputy-Speaker (Sir William Anstruther-Gray)Yes, if that be for the convenience of the House.
§ Mr. Brooman-WhiteDuring the Committee stage proceedings the hon. Member for Glasgow, Bridgeton (Mr. J. Bennett) suggested that it would assist those who may have to operate this 238 Measure in future if the Amendments made by Clause 37 were written out. The Lord Advocate undertook to consider this and these provisions are the result of that consideration. The new Clause and the relative new Schedule rewrite Sections 240 and 246 of the 1960 Act as amended. Apart from presentation there is no difference between these Amendments and the present Clause 37 which they replace. We hope that this will 'be a more convenient way of presenting the matter.
§ Mr. Thomas Steele (Dunbartonshire, West)We are grateful for that explanation. The explanation given in the Committee stage proceedings was not satisfactory. It has been helpful to have a legal mind considering an interpretation. The Government have made the Bill much more intelligible, and on behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Bridgeton (Mr. J. Bennett) I should like to thank the Minister.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Clause read a Second time and added to the Bill.