Clause 3 (Hansard, 20 June 1968)

§ Mr. Snow
I beg to move Amendment No. 4, in page 3, line 1, leave out ' advice to the appropriate Ministers ' and insert: 'to any one or more of the Ministers specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 1(1) of this Act advice'.

Mr. Deputy Speaker
With that Amendment we are taking Amendment No. 5, and Amendment No. 102, in Clause 115, page 100, line 29, leave out ' appropriate Ministers ' and insert: 'Ministers proposing to make the regulations or order'.

§ Mr. Snow
On 12th March, I gave an undertaking to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, West (Mr. Scott-Hopkins) that we would examine the application and interpretation of the term used in the Bill "the appropriate Ministers". In consequence of that undertaking we re-examined the use of that phrase throughout the Bill to see whether the special definition in Clause 1(2) was appropriate.
I said that Amendments would be moved to Clause 3(1), which refers to Ministers asking the Commission for advice and being advised by it, and to Clause 115(6), which was formerly Clause 113, which requires the appropriate Ministers to consult before making regulations or Orders. In both cases the meaning was "the relevant Ministers" rather than the special meaning attached to the phrase "the appropriate Ministers" in Clause 1(2).
The first two Amendments result in making Clause 3(1) read: The Commission shall give to any one or more of the Ministers specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of Section 1(1) of this Act advice on matters relating to … where either the Commission consider it expedient, or they are requested bv the Minister or Ministers in question, to do so. The third Amendment makes Clause 115 read: Before making any regulations … the Ministers proposing to make the regulations or Order shall consult such organisations … That fulfills my undertaking in Committee, and I hope that the House will accept the Amendments.

§ Mr. Scott-Hopkins
I can do no more than thank the hon. Gentleman for his courtesy in introducing these Amendments. In doing so he has carried out his undertaking, and I am grateful to him. Both Clauses are now much clearer than they were, and I think that the purpose which we both had in mind has been achieved.