PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND POWERS OF CORPORATION (Hansard, 3 August 1972)

§ The Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Mr. Peter Emery)
I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

§ Mr. Speaker
It would be convenient to consider at the same time Lords Amendment No. 2, in page 3, line 10, after "provision" insert "power".

§ Mr. Emery
With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to begin by paying tribute to a Member of another place who played a prominent part in the passage of this Bill there, and whose speech on the Bill there was interrupted by his collapse, which was followed by his death. The noble Lord, Lord Delacourt-Smith—Charles Smith as he was—had a distinguished career concerned with the Post Office, with Parliament and with many good works, and his loss at a very early age is something which I am sure the whole House deeply regrets.

Hon. Members
Hear, hear.

§ Mr. Emery
Lords Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 are intended solely to make the Bill more readily understandable. I was myself satisfied that Clause 2(2) as drafted carried out the intention that the specific powers of the Gas Corporation, listed in sub-paragraphs (a) to (h), were only particular examples of the corporation's general power to carry on any activities …requisite, advantageous or convenient … for or in connection with the discharge of … 1089 its primary duty, and that these were not independent powers. However, following reconsideration of the wording, which I promised my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet) on Report, and although I still think that our intention would have been satisfied by the original wording, as I have no pride of authorship I have concluded that his suggestion would make it beyond any doubt clear—hence these Amendments.

§ Mr. Eric Varley (Chesterfield)
I thank the Under-Secretary of State for the tribute he made to our late noble Friend, Lord Delacourt-Smith. We all mourn his sad passing. He carried the full burden for the Opposition of the Gas Bill in the House of Lords and did an excellent job. I feel his loss a great deal personally because I was appointed as a Minister to the Ministry of Technology on the very same day as he was. I extend on behalf of the Opposition our sympathy to Lady Delacourt-Smith and rest of the family.
We support the Amendments. We think that they help to clear the matter and represent a modest improvement. I should imagine that they are also welcomed by the hon. Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet).

§ Mr. T. H. H. Skeet (Bedford)
I cannot allow the occasion to pass without expressing gratitude to the Minister for listening to the arguments which I adduced at an earlier stage and for making these modifications. We now have clearly prescribed the limits within which it will be "requisite, advantageous or convenient", in the words of the sub-section, for the Gas Corporation to carry on activities. The intention is made clear that the corporation should not go into petro-chemicals unless a very clear view is formed about it. The matter is now beyond doubt, and I thank the Minister for his concession.

§ 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. 4 in page 4, line 5, leave out from beginning to "manufacture" in line 6 and insert "(iii)".

§ Mr. Emery
In our earlier proceedings, arguments were advanced for removing the prohibition on manufacture by the Gas Corporation of gas fittings for export. Although I gave no undertaking, I thought it worth whole that the matter should be looked at again, since, obviously, in this instance, if there were any production made specifically for the home market in which there was, perhaps, some over-run which could be sold abroad, one should see that that could be done.
It seemed to me, therefore, that it made sense to acknowledge that the different points and arguments which had been put tipped the balance, I thought it right that that possibility should not be frustrated by the wording of the Bill, and that such manufacture could be carried out, with the consent of the Secretary of State.
These Amendments are the outcome of that decision, and I hope that they commend themselves to the House.

§ Mr. Varley
We are grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his explanation. The Amendments make a modest improvement in the Bill, and in that sense we welcome them.
When the Bill left this place, the circumstances in which fittings manufactured by the Gas Corporation could reasonably be exported were unclear, and the wording of the Bill, in our opinion, was much too rigid. As we now understand it, the corporation would only need the Secretary of State's consent to manufacture for export if it considered it to be requisite, advantageous or convenient, to use the words of subsection (2) and if it deliberately set up a line of manufacture of fittings for export.
As we have said before, there is now a world-wide interest in the expanding British gas industry, particularly through the Gas Council's international consultancy service, which could lead to a great demand for British gas technology. In these circumstances, the manufacture of fittings, apparatus and appliances for export could be of immense advantage 1091 to the corporation and to the country. If that should happen—we hope it will—it would be our hope that the Secretary of State would gladly give his consent to the corporation so that it could go ahead and manufacture for export.