§ As amended (in the Standing Committee), considered.
§ 2.31 p.m.
§ Mr. W. T. Williams (Warrington)I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.
This little Bill puts right an unintended effect of the original drafting of the law relating to licensing planning committees. The original Act, it appears, did not intend its effects to include off-licences, and the Departmental Committee on Licensing, under the chairmanship of Mr. Ramsay Willis, proposed that licensing planning committees should not have to concern themselves with off-licences. The Bill, if it reaches the Statute Book, will achieve that end, and in moving the Third Reading I express my thanks to 985 the Home Office, and, in particular, to my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, for the help which I have received.
In the light of the dreadful example of eloquence that we had earlier today, I urge my hon. Friends to resist the temptation, if they feel so inclined, to congratulate me on my conduct of the Bill. It must be many years since birds have been so much chatted-up as they have been in the House today.
§ 2.32 p.m.
Mr. Richard Sharpies (Sutton and Cheam)In spite of what the hon. and learned Member for Warrington (Mr. W. T. Williams) said, I wish to intervene to congratulate him, and as one of the sponsors of the Measure to confirm that it has all-party support. As the hon. and learned Gentleman said, it puts right an anomaly. I am glad that he has had the opportunity of bringing the Bill forward, and I congratulate him on doing so.
§ 2.33 p.m.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Miss Alice Bacon)Again, in spite of what my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Warrington (Mr. W. T. Williams) said, I, too, would like to congratulate him, and to give the Bill the blessing of the Home Office.
For several years my hon. and learned Friend has raised this matter on the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill and suggested that the Government should do something about it. When he raised it this year on that Measure, I suggested that he might like to deal with it by way of a Private Member's Bill. He has done so, and it has had a very easy passage. Indeed, the total time spent on the Bill on Second Reading, Committee, Report, and Third Reading up to now, is less than the time taken for his speech each year on the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill. It shows that a Bill of this kind can get through when it is introduced by a private Member.
The Government are not yet ready to deal with the whole of the report on licensing planning. Indeed, there is no uniformity of opinion on this, but this Measure represents part of that report and as such we welcome it. It will put right something which we know has been 986 an annoyance to many people for some years.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed.