HC Deb 20 January 1971 vol 809 cc1227-8

11.15 p.m.

Mr. Edward Taylor

I beg to move Amendment No. 5, in Clause 4, page 3, line 32, after 'may', insert 'by agreement'.

If it is agreeable to the House, I wonder if it would be possible to consider this with Amendment No. 6, in page 3, line 34, after 'behalf', insert: 'subject to any terms or conditions set out in the agreement'.

Mr. Deputy Speaker

If that is convenient.

Mr. Taylor

In Committee it was pointed out by the hon. Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Robert Hughes) that it might be desirable to spell out the right of boards to withdraw from the Trust endowments which they had transferred to it voluntarily under Clause 3(e).

We agreed to ensure that the Bill left no room for doubt on this point and the Amendment has this purpose. Rather than make a statutory rule which would have to apply to every case, we thought we should try to adopt the more flexible arrangements of leaving it to the Trust and the Board concerned to agree the terms and conditions under which these voluntary arrangements are made.

I understood there was a little doubt about the point and I hope that the words proposed will clear up the matter and that the hon. Member for Aberdeen, North will feel that we have introduced suitable Amendments to deal with the point he made.

Mr. Robert Hughes (Aberdeen, North)

I thank the Minister for bringing forward these Amendments to cover the points we raised in Committee. It makes the effort we all put in that Committee very much worth while.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendment made: No. 6, in line 34, after 'behalf', insert: 'subject to any terms or conditions set out in the agreement'.—[Mr. Edward Taylor.]

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