HC Deb 03 August 1972 vol 842 cc1091-2

Lords Amendment: No. 5, in page 33, line 35, after "above" insert: but subject to subsection (3) below".

Mr. Emery

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

Mr. Speaker

It will be convenient to consider at the same time Lords Amendment No. 6, in page 33, line 44, at end insert: (3) The application by virtue of subsection (2) above of the said section 27(1) and the said section 31(1) to a particular part of any pipe-line shall be dependent upon there having been previously deposited with every local authority in whose area the part lies, either by the Corporation or, before the appointed day, by the Gas Council or an Area Board, a map, on a scale not less than 1 in 10,560, showing the route taken by the part. A local authority holding a map relating to a pipe-line vested in the Corporation shall keep the map at their offices, and shall secure that it is open to inspection by any person at all reasonable times free of charge. In this subsection "local authority" means—

  1. (a) in England and Wales, the council of a county, county borough or county district, the Greater London Council, the council of a London borough, and the Common Council of the City of London, and
  2. (b) in Scotland, a town or county council."

Mr. Emery

Clause 39(2) applies to gas industry pipelines certain provisions of the Pipe-lines Act which are designed to protect pipelines laid according to the terms of that Act from damage which could possibly arise from the erection of buildings or the deposit of materials too close to the pipeline. The Amendments recognise that in certain circumstances this could create difficulty.

Lords Amendment No. 6 is designed to help those concerned to find out whether a gas pipeline crosses any piece of land by encouraging the deposit of maps with local authorities. I am glad to be able to say that the lines of these Amendments have been the subject of consultation with the local authority associations, which have agreed with them, and I hope that the House will now agree to accept them.

Question put and agreed to.

Subsequent Lords Amendment agreed to.