HC Deb 25 April 1967 vol 745 cc1383-4
Dr. Dickson Mabon

I beg to move Amendment No. 2, in page 2, line 36, to leave out 'hereafter'.

Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Sydney Irving)

With this Amendment I suggest that we discuss Amendment No. 1, in page 2, line 36, leave out 'hereafter in this Act' and insert 'hereinafter'.

Dr. Mabon

This is a purely drafting Amendment. In Committee I gave an undertaking to the hon. and learned Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Wylie) that I would table an Amendment to remove any words which I thought were redundant from the phrase hereafter in this Act referred to as 'the Central Board'". The hon. and learned Gentleman suggested the omission of the words "in this Act" and later said that he was prepared to settle for the deletion of "hereafter … referred to as". I presume that this is the intention of Amendment No. 1.

The Government have taken advice on this. We have come to the conclusion that we should retain the words in this Act referred to as to provide a short title for references in the Bill to the Central Scotland Water Development Board. In other words, without knowing what the Opposition wanted to table—and I understand why they have tabled their Amendment—I thought that the best way of honouring my undertaking was to table Amendment No. 2. I think that it does what the hon. and learned Gentleman wants, even though it does not take out quite so many words as he would have wished.

Mr. MacArthur

We had an interesting and entertaining debate on this point in Committee. Before rising to speak I looked up the OFFICIAL REPORT of the proceedings in Committee. I believe that "hereinafter" was a good brainwave proposal which arose during the course of the debate. Our ideas are better than the Secretary of State's. I still think that "hereinafter" is a better economy of words. However, the Minister of State has recognised that there is a case for tidying up the phrase. His tidying up is less economical than ours, but since he has recognised the need for economy I would not wish to press the point any further.

Amendment agreed to.