POSTPONEMENT OF RESTRICTIONS IN RELATION TO EXPORTS (Hansard, 18 October 1968)

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

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
With this we are to discuss Lords Amendment No. 81, which is new Clause H—"Special provisions in respect of exporting certain products".

§ Mr. Robinson
The purpose of new Clause H, to which Lords Amendment No. 80 is a paving Amendment, is to exclude a limited category of export products from the provisions of Clause 42 which postponed for export-only products the operation of the licensing provisions in Part II. The excluded products in question are the "therapeutic substances" whose manufacture for sale is already now subject to licensing under Part I of the Therapeutic Substances Act, 1956, or Part II of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1950, and this includes sale for export, The need for this provision has been accepted by the pharmaceutical trade associations and I referred to it on Report and I think that the need was also accepted by hon. Members opposite.
799 The products to which the new Clause is to apply are to be specified in Orders made under subsection (2). It is the Government's intention that initially the list should be the same as that to which licensing currently applies and that it would be extended in future where appropriate on the same general principles as are currently followed under the two existing Acts which I have mentioned, that is, control would be related to the therapeutic importance of the substance and the need for strictly controlled biological tests to ensure safety, quality and potency. The principal provisions of the Clause are to be found in the first two subsections. The remaining provisions apply appropriate transitional provisions and provide for licences of right to cover products which were being exported before the first appointed day.

§ Mr. Nigel Fisher (Surbiton)
We on this side of the House seem to say very nice things to the Minister about him and his Bill. Having taken an interest in the export provisions of the Bill at an earlier stage, I should like to express appreciation to him for the constructive way in which he has dealt with some of the points which we raised earlier. We accept them and are grateful to him for them.