§ 6.40 p.m.
§ The Minister for Housing and Construction (Mr. Julian Amery)I beg to move,
That the Order [13th March] be supplemented as follows: —The Bill received the most thorough consideration during its passage through this House, both in Committee and on Report. A record number of hours of debate were devoted to it. The present stage—consideration of Lords Amendments—is designed—indeed it is limited to it—to enabling the House to look at the Amendments made in another place, where altogether 169 Amendments were made. Some 60 of them are essentially drafting. The others deal with 30 points of substance, but the majority of these substantive Amendments make changes along the lines which the Opposition are understood to favour and which all of us would wish to endorse. I shall briefly enumerate them in order to explain why we are moving this Motion.
- 1. The Proceedings on Consideration of the Lords Amendments shall be brought to a conclusion, subject to paragraph 2 below, at Eleven o'clock today.
- 2.—
- (1) Paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 3 (Exempted business) shall apply to those proceedings for one hour after Ten o'clock; but any period during which they may be proceeded with after Ten o'clock under paragraph (7) of Standing Order No. 9 (Adjournment on specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration) shall be in addition to the period under this sub-paragraph.
- (2) If any Motion for the adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9 stands over to today, a period of time equal to the duration of the Proceedings upon that Motion shall be added to the period during which Consideration of the Lords Amendments may be proceeded with after Ten o'clock, and the bringing to the conclusion of the latter proceedings shall be postponed for a period after Eleven o'clock equal to the duration of the Proceedings on the Motion.
- 3. In accordance with the Order [13th March], paragraph 6 of that Order (which relates to dilatory Motions) and paragraph 9 of that Order (which relates to private business) shall have effect in relation to the Proceedings mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Order as if today were an allotted day within the meaning of that Order.
- 4.—
- (1) If at the expiration of the period for which the Proceedings on Consideration of the Lords Amendments may continue by virtue of paragraphs 1 to 3 of this Order, those Proceedings have not been completed, then for the purpose of bringing those Proceedings to a conclusion—
- (a) Mr. Speaker shall first put forthwith any Question which has been already proposed from the Chair and not yet decided, and, if that Question is for the amendment of a Lords Amendment, shall then put forthwith the Question on any Motion, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Lords Amendment or, as the case may be, in the said Lords Amendment as amended;
- (b) Mr. Speaker shall designate such (if any) of the remaining Lords Amendments as appear to him to involve questions of Privilege and shall then forthwith—
- (i) put the Question on any Motion, That this House doth agree with the Lords in all the remaining Lords Amendments except those designated by Mr. Speaker or, if none of the remaining Lords Amendments has been so designated, in all the remaining Lords Amendments, and
1602 - (ii) if any of the remaining Lords Amendments have been so designated, put separately, with respect to each of those Amendments so designated, the Question on any Motion, That this House does agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.
- (2) Proceedings under sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph shall not be interrupted under any Standing Order relating to the sittings of the House.
- 5. In paragraph 11 of the Order [13th March] (which relates to Supplemental Orders) any reference to that Order shall be construed as including a reference to this Order.
The Amendments seek in a number of ways to improve the Bill. They improve and extend the subsidy arrangement. In particular, they abolish the previous limitation on rising costs subsidy for 1972–73 and 1973–74 by removing the provision whereby no subsidy was payable towards the first£6 per dwelling, the threshold of any increase in reckonable expenditure for those two years. They retain the existing hostel grants which are payable to housing associations and to local authorities for existing hostels. This change has been warmly welcomed by associations which run existing hostel schemes and by the local authority associations.
The Amendments further allow loan charges from internal borrowing by housing associations to count as expenditure for subsidy purposes. The Amendments also make more generous the model scheme for rent rebates and allowances. They increase the rebate or allowance for the chronically sick and disabled. The needs allowance of a chronically sick or disabled person goes up by £1.25 a week, and £2 a week for a couple. Where there 1603 are young adults in the tenant's household the rebate or allowance is also increased by up to 50p a week for each person aged 18 to 20, other than the tenant or his spouse.
The Amendments improve arrangements for private tenants. They provide for audited statements of service charges. They improve the form of rent agreements and empower the court to take account of the tenant's age and health where the landlord proposes improvement works against the tenant's wishes. They make it possible also to discover the identity of the landlord for harassment proceedings. The new provisions for audited statements of service charges deserve special mention. The landlord's duty to provide on request an audited statement is now set out clearly in the Statute. This new provision, moreover, has teeth in it; failure to comply with it will be punishable by a fine of up to £200, and it applies to the whole of the private rented sector, including protected tenancies. These provisions have, I understand, been widely welcomed.
As announced by my noble Friend Lord Drumalbyn in another place, the Government have also put in hand a deeper study of the question of giving tenants the right to challenge the amount of service charges imposed by their landlords. Depending on the outcome of the study, the aim is to prepare and bring forward considered legislative proposals to provide such a right. The relevant Amendment fulfils an assurance I gave on Report in this House and will, I hope, give satisfaction to some of my hon. Friends, particularly those representing the London boroughs who pressed these issues in speeches and, indeed, on one occasion in the Division Lobby.
The Lords Amendments also improve the provisions for determining fair rents for council dwellings. They require authorities to inform each tenant in writing of the fair rent provisionally assessed for his dwelling by the council and of the fair rent determined for his dwelling by the rent scrutiny board. They remove the board's power to enter and inspect dwellings—a point often pressed upon us. They require authorities to publish the reports of a rent scrutiny board which will enable tenants to make representations to the authority if the 1604 report disagrees with the authority's provisional assessment.
I do not think there will be much disagreement with these Amendments. At the same time, we can hardly expect that right hon. and hon. Members opposite will wish to devote much time to congratulating us upon them. That is why we have concluded that, although the number of Amendments is substantial, a day's debate provides ample time for their discussion. I accept, of course, that a small number of Amendments are genuinely controversial, but since the Opposition have made it crystal clear that they want to prevent the Bill from becoming law and that if they cannot prevent its passage they wish to delay and obstruct it by every means in their power, we think it necessary to protect the Government's legislative programme by a timetable Motion.
At the same time we have no wish to be unreasonable and have gladly accepted proposals by the Opposition as to how, without prejudice, of course, to the prerogatives of the Chair or the rights of private Members, the time available could best be used. The House will, I think, agree that this is a reasonable approach and that in the circumstances the Motion allows adequate time for this important but necessarily limited and, I hope, final stage of a very important Bill. On this basis, I commend the Motion to the House.
§ 6.47 p.m.
§ Mr. Anthony Crosland (Grimsby)The last time the House discussed a guillotine on Lords Amendments to a Bill was almost exactly a year ago today, on the Industrial Relations Bill. We have now just finished an emergency debate, lasting three hours, on the disastrous consequence of that Measure for the economy, for civil peace and for the respect or disrespect in which the law is held. I hope that in a year's time we shall not be having a similar three-hour emergency debate on the consequences of this Bill. One would have hoped that we could have made that less likely to occur by not guillotining the remaining stages and by allowing the House at this last stage a full and ample debate on the provisions of the Bill.
We all know that debates on timetable Motions can often assume a mere ritual 1605 character, with quotations and counter-quotations and precedents being pressed by both sides. I do not propose to indulge at length in that exercise. Nevertheless, the Minister treated the Motion extremely lightly. There are, after all, few precedents for timetabling Lords Amendments. Indeed, until tonight there have been only three such occasions in parliamentary history, all of them under Conservative Governments—the Transport Act, 1953, the London Government Act, 1963, and the Industrial Relations Act, 1971. Now the Government propose to do it twice in one week—today on the Housing Finance Bill and tomorrow on the Housing (Financial Provisions) (Scotland) Bill. This is despite the fact that on the Housing Finance Bill we have, as the right hon. Gentleman rightly said, 169 Lords Amendments to consider, two-thirds of them of some substance and half of them emanating from the Government, and in all the product of 13 days of intensive and informed debate in another place.
To insist that we deal with this huge number of Amendments between now and 2 a.m. shows a complete contempt for the proceedings of the House and a cold indifference to what the consequences of the Bill will be. We cannot adequately discuss even one-tenth of these Amendments. The Minister knows it; back-bench Members opposite know it, and the Opposition know it. The whole thing will be the usual farce of guillotined discussion.
I want briefly to turn to three wider and more fundamental reasons why I believe that this Motion, at this stage, is wholly wrong. The first concerns the development of inflation since we last discussed the Bill. The fact of inflation is not new. For the last two years we have had the fastest rate of inflation that Britain has known in peace time; indeed, it is a rate threatening to approach that of some South American republics. What is new is the abrupt, although very belated, recognition by the Government that they must have a more positive and constructive anti-inflationary policy than merely systematic eyeball-to-eyeball confrontations with selected groups of public service workers.
So we see the pressure upon the CBI to reaffirm its 5 per cent. self-denying ordinance. We saw, for the first time, a 1606 tripartite meeting under the umbrella of the NEDC, with the Prime Minister hi the chair, until the Government's bungling of industrial relations caused the talks to be suspended. We have had the Prime Minister's ringing statement that "the fight against rising prices must be one with no holds barred". We could all subscribe to that, but the Prime Minister does not seem to realise that, in practice, every hold is barred to him, because he is waging this battle with both hands tied behind his back.
I should be out of order if I were to attempt to talk about VAT, the effect of devaluation, the effect of rising social service charges, school meals, and the rest. But how can the Prime Minister and the Government conceivably hope to hold price increases down to 5 per cent. and limit wage claims by so doing when, on 1st September, notifications of rent increases are due to be sent out and when, on 1st October, the rents of millions of tenants will rise by anything up to £1?
The situation is ludicrous. The Bill is not consistent with an anti-inflationary policy, and the Government must choose one or the other. The fact that they are guillotining the remaining proceedings on this Bill means that they have made the wrong choice.
The Government may say "We are mitigating the inflationary effects of the Bill is a result of our prospective directions under Clause 62(4)."But we cannot yet measure the full consequences of Clause 62(4)—I do not doubt that we shall discuss it more fully when we reach the Lords Amendments themselves—but we can say with absolute certainty that the letters that have been written under Clause 62(4) have caused total confusion in the local government world about the effect of the Bill, and that constitutes an overwhelming second argument why the remaining stages of the Bill should not be guillotined tonight.
Initially the Bill laid down a rigid national framework for fixing rents—a mandatory £26 increase in the first year; a mandatory £26 increase in the second year; and a further mandatory increase in the third year. Then we had the long fascinating history of the Newcastle Amendment, the Minister's decisions on Birmingham, Brent, Hammersmith and the like, and then, finally, the Prime Minister declaring at Question Time last 1607 Thursday, to the general consternation of hon. Members, that he could not tell us by how much rents would rise under the Bill compared with the CBI figure of 5 per cent. because rents would be fixed locally.
The Prime Minister is obviously unaware of the contents of the Bill. What he said was the reverse of the truth; but it at least demonstrated the total uncertainty and confusion that exists in connection with rents. A glance at any local government journal would equally confirm that local authorities have no idea what the Bill means. It is a wholly different animal from the Bill that we spent so many happy weeks discussing in Standing Committee E, but what sort of animal it is no one in local government knows.
I spoke yesterday to one of the best-known and most respected borough treasurers, whose name is a by-word for expertise in housing finance. He said "Never in my life have I seen such a shambles in local government. Not a single borough treasurer knows where he stands under the Bill. The whole thing is a total mess." The best answer would be to withdraw the Bill but if the Government are adamant against that, let us have an unguillotined and thorough debate, in order to clear our minds and the minds of those in local government as to what this amended Bill means and intends.
I want to put forward one final argument because like the Minister, I wish to be brief. I believe that it is utterly wrong to curtail debate on an issue that so gravely affects relationships between central Government and local government, and which threatens—like the Industrial Relations Act—to bring the law into disrepute. I suppose that since the Bill was introduced nobody has doubted the strength of feeling in the local government world against it. If anybody did, he would have been disabused by the resolution passed only a few days ago by the AMC, asking the Government for the withdrawal of the Bill, or by the letter sent to the Prime Minister by Sir Ron Iremonger, writing on behalf of 90 Labour-controlled local authorities, saying that
implementation of the Bill could lead to the total breakdown of local government1608 and asking the Prime Minister to receive a deputation consisting solely of elected members of housing authorities.The Government must realise how repugnant to local government is not merely the policy expounded in the Bill but even more the central Government diktat to transfer powers which, historically, have rested with elected local government, away from local government and into the hands of Whitehall, overriding by Act of Parliament the wishes and pledges of elected local councillors, and the blow to local democracy and freedom which this entails.
As members of the Standing Committee know, I have made my position clear again and again on the issue of principle. I do not and cannot, as a parliamentarian and a Social Democrat, encourage or condone defiance of the law. I believe that in practice the majority of councils will implement the law. Nevertheless, some councils—and they include many moderate and normally law-abiding men and women—are outraged to the point where they say "Let the Tory Government do its own damned dirty work. We shall not positively break the law, but if they wish to have rent increases let them appoint a housing commissioner and do the dirty work themselves."
Do the Government really want, at this moment, another confrontation, this time with the world of democratically elected local government? Surely now is the time for the contrary policy—a little pacification and a binding up of the wounds that have been opened up in the last two years; less emphasis on conflict and more on consent.
I say with some regret, because I have no pleasure in the consequences of governmental action, that in my view this country has never been more divided and resentful, never more marked by class hostility, since the 1930s. Surely the Government have learned something from their experience over the Industrial Relations Act and the debate that we have just had. The best thing would be to withdraw the Bill, with its threat of further inflation and the possibility of further civil strife, but if the Government will not do that, let them at least not fling at us, at this time, the contemptuous insult of guillotining the Bill's remaining stages.
1609 I urge my right hon. and hon. Friends to vote solidly and at once against this disgraceful Motion.
§ Question put: —
§ The House divided: Ayes 295, Noes 272.
1613| Division No. 316.] | AYES | [7.0 p.m. |
| Adley, Robert | Eyre, Reginald | Knox, David |
| Alison, Michael (Barkston Ash) | Farr, John | Lambton, Lord |
| Allason, James (Hemel Hempstead) | Fell, Anthony | Lamont, Norman |
| Amery, Rt. Hn. Julian | Fenner, Mrs. Peggy | Lane, David |
| Archer, Jeffrey (Louth) | Fidler, Michael | Langford-Holt, Sir John |
| Astor, John | Finsberg, Geoffrey (Hampstead) | Legge-Bourke, Sir Harry |
| Atkins, Humphrey | Fisher, Nigel (Surbiton) | Le Merchant, Spencer |
| Awdry, Daniel | Fletcher-Cooke, Charles | Lewis, Kenneth (Rutland) |
| Baker, Kenneth (St. Marylebone) | Fookes, Miss Janet | Lloyd, Ian (P'tsm'th, Langstone) |
| Balniel, Rt. Hn. Lord | Fortescue, Tim | Longden, Gilbert |
| Barber, Rt. Hn. Anthony | Foster, Sir John | Loveridge, John |
| Batsford, Brian | Fowler, Norman | Luce, R. N. |
| Beamish, Col. Sir Tufton | Fox, Marcus | McAdden, Sir Stephen |
| Bell, Ronald | Fraser, Rt. Hn. Hugh (St'fford & Stone) | MacArthur, Ian |
| Bennett, Sir Frederic (Torquay) | Fry, Peter | McCrindle, R. A. |
| Bennett, Dr. Reginald (Gosport) | Galbraith, Hn. T. G. | McLaren, Martin |
| Benyon, W. | Gardner, Edward | Maclean, Sir Fitzroy |
| Berry, Hn. Anthony | Gilmour, Ian (Norfolk, C.) | McMaster, Stanley |
| Biggs-Davison, John | Gilmour, Sir John (Fife, E.) | Macmillan, Maurice (Farnham) |
| Blaker, Peter | Glyn, Dr. Alan | McNair-Wilson, Patrick (New Forest) |
| Boardman, Tom (Leicester, S.W.) | Goodhart, Philip | Maddan, Martin |
| Body, Richard | Goodhew, Victor | Madel, David |
| Boscawen, Robert | Gorst, John | Maginnis, John E. |
| Bossom, Sir Clive | Gower, Raymond | Marples, Rt. Hn. Ernest |
| Bowden, Andrew | Grant, Anthony (Harrow, C.) | Marten, Neil |
| Braine, Bernard | Green, Alan | Mather, Carol |
| Bray, Ronald | Grieve, Percy | Maude, Angus |
| Brinton, Sir Tatton | Griffiths, Eldon (Bury St. Edmunds) | Mawby, Ray |
| Brocklebank-Fowler, Christopher | Gummer, J. Selwyn | Maxwell-Hyslop, R. J. |
| Brown, Sir Edward (Bath) | Gurden, Harold | Meyer, Sir Anthony |
| Bruce-Gardyne, J. | Hall, Miss Joan (Keighley) | Mills, Peter (Torrington) |
| Bryan, Sir Paul | Hall, John (Wycombe) | Mills, Stratton (Belfast, N.) |
| Buchanan-Smith, Alick(Angus, N&M) | Hall-Davis, A. G. F. | Miscampbell, Norman |
| Buck, Antony | Hamilton, Michael (Salisbury) | Mitchell, Lt.-Col. C. (Aberdeenshire, W) |
| Bullus, Sir Eric | Hannam, John (Exeter) | Mitchell, David (Basingstoke) |
| Burden, F. A. | Harrison, Brian (Maldon) | Moate, Roger |
| Butler, Adam (Bosworth) | Harrison, Col. Sir Harwood (Eye) | Molyneaux, James |
| Campbell, Rt. Hn. G.(Moray&Nairn) | Haselhurst, Alan | Money, Ernle |
| Carlisle, Mark | Hastings, Stephen | Monks, Mrs. Connie |
| Carr, Rt. Hn. Robert | Havers, Michael | Monro, Hector |
| Cary, Sir Robert | Hawkins, Paul | Montgomery, Fergus |
| Chapman, Sydney | Hayhoe, Barney | More, Jasper |
| Chataway, Rt. Hn. Christopher | Heseltine, Michael | Morgan, Geraint (Denbigh) |
| Chichester-Clark, R. | Higgins, Terence L. | Morgan-Giles, Rear-Adm. |
| Churchill, W. S. | Hiley, Joseph | Morrison, Charles |
| Clark, William (Surrey, E.) | Hill, John E. B. (Norfolk, S.) | Mudd, David |
| Clarke, Kenneth (Rushcliffe) | Hill, James (Southampton, Test) | Murton, Oscar |
| Clegg, Walter | Holland, Philip | Neave, Airey |
| Cockeram, Eric | Holt, Miss Mary | Nicholls, Sir Harmar |
| Cooke, Robert | Hordern, Peter | Noble, Rt. Hn. Michael |
| Coombs, Derek | Hornby, Richard | Normanton, Tom |
| Cooper, A. E. | Hornsby-Smith.Rt.Hn.Dame Patricia | Nott, John |
| Cordle, John | Howe, Hn. Sir Geoffrey (Reigate) | Onslow, Cranley |
| Corfield, Rt. Hn. Sir Frederick | Howell, Ralph (Norfolk, N.) | Oppenheim, Mrs. Sally |
| Cormack, Patrick | Hunt, John | Osborn, John |
| Costain, A. P. | Hutchison, Michael Clark | Owen, Idris (Stockport, N.) |
| Critchley, Julian | Iremonger, T. L. | Page, Rt. Hn. Graham (Crosby) |
| Crouch, David | Irvine, Bryant Godman (Rye) | Page, John (Harrow, W.) |
| Crowder, F. P. | James, David | Parkinson, Cecil |
| Dalkeith, Earl of | Jenkin, Patrick (Woodford) | Peel, John |
| Davies, Rt. Hn. John (Knutsford) | Jennings, J. C. (Burton) | Percival, Ian |
| d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, Maj.-Gen. James | Jessel, Toby | Peyton, Rt. Hn. John |
| Dean, Paul | Johnson Smith, G. (E. Grinstead) | Pike, Miss Mervyn |
| Deedes, Rt. Hn. W. F. | Jones, Arthur (Northants, S.) | Pink, R. Bonner |
| Digby, Simon Wingfield | Joseph, Rt. Hn. Sir Keith | Pounder, Rafton |
| Dixon, Piers | Kaberry, Sir Donald | Powell, Rt. Hn. J. Enoch |
| Dodds-Parker, Douglas | Kellett-Bowman, Mrs. Elaine | Price, David (Eastleigh) |
| Douglas-Home, Rt. Hn. Sir Alec | Kershaw, Anthony | Prior, Rt. Hn. J. M. L. |
| Drayson, G. B. | Kimball, Marcus | Pym, Rt. Hn. Francis |
| du Cann, Rt. Hn. Edward | King, Evelyn (Dorset, S.) | Quennell, Miss J. M. |
| Dykes, Hugh | King, Tom (Bridgwater) | Raison, Timothy |
| Eden, Rt. Hn. Sir John | Kinsey, J. R. | Ramsden, Rt. Hn. James |
| Edwards, Nicholas (Pembroke) | Kirk, Peter | Redmond, Robert |
| Elliot, Capt. Walter (Carshalton) | Kitson, Timothy | Reed, Laurance (Bolton, E.) |
| Elliott, R. W. (N'ctle-upon-Tyne, N.) | Knight, Mrs. Jill | Rees, Peter (Dover) |
| Emery, Peter | Rees-Davies, W. R. | |
| Renton, Rt. Hn. Sir David | Spence, John | Waddington, David |
| Rhys Williams, Sir Brandon | Sproat, Iain | Walder, David (Clitheroe) |
| Ridley, Hn. Nicholas | Stainton, Keith | Walker, Rt. Hn. Peter (Worcester) |
| Ridsdale, Julian | Stanbrook, Ivor | Walker-Smith, Rt. Hn. Sir Derek |
| Roberts, Michael (Cardiff, N.) | Stewart-Smith, Geoffrey (Belper) | Wall, Patrick |
| Roberts, Wyn (Conway) | Stoddart-Scott, Col. Sir M. | Walters, Dennis |
| Rodgers, Sir John (Sevenoaks) | Stuttaford, Dr. Tom | Ward, Dame Irene |
| Rossi, Hugh (Hornsey) | Sutcliffe, John | Warren, Kenneth |
| Rost, Peter | Tapsell, Peter | Weatherill, Bernard |
| Royle, Anthony | Taylor, Sir Charles (Eastbourne) | Wells, John (Maidstone) |
| Russell, Sir Ronald | Taylor, Frank (Moss Side) | White, Roger (Gravesend) |
| St. John-Stevas, Norman | Tebbit, Norman | Wiggin, Jerry |
| Sandys, Rt. Hn. D. | Temple, John M | Wilkinson, John |
| Scott, Nicholas | Thatcher, Rt. Hn. Mrs. Margaret | Winterton, Nicholas |
| Scott-Hopkins, James | Thomas, John Stradling (Monmouth) | Wolrige-Gordon, Patrick |
| Sharples, Sir Richard | Thompson, Sir Richard (Croydon, S.) | Woodhouse, Hn. Christopher |
| Shaw, Michael (Sc'b'gh & Whitby) | Tilney, John | Woodnutt, Mark |
| Shelton, William (Clapham) | Trafford Dr. Anthony | Worsley, Marcus |
| Simeons, Charles | Trew, Peter | Wylie, Rt. Hn. N. R. |
| Sinclair, Sir George | Tugendhat, Christopher | Younger, Hn. George |
| Skeet, T. H. H. | Turton, Rt. Hn. Sir Robin | |
| Smith, Dudley (W'wick & L'mington) | van Straubenzee, W. R. | TELLERS FOR THE AYES: |
| Soref, Harold | Vaughan, Dr. Gerard | Mr. Michael Jopling and |
| Speed, Keith | Vickers, Dame Joan | Mr. Hamish Gray. |
| NOES | ||
| Abse, Leo | Dell, Rt. Hn. Edmund | Hughes, Mark (Durham) |
| Albu, Austen | Dempsey, James | Hughes, Robert (Aberdeen, N.) |
| Allaun, Frank (Salford, E.) | Devlin, Miss Bernadette | Hunter, Adam |
| Allen, Scholefield | Doig, Peter | Irvine, Rt. Hn. Sir Arthur (Edge Hill) |
| Armstrong, Ernest | Dormand, J. D. | Janner, Greville |
| Ashley, Jack | Douglas, Dick (Stirlingshire, E.) | Jay, Rt. Hn. Douglas |
| Ashton, Joe | Douglas-Mann, Bruce | Jeger, Mrs. Lena |
| Atkinson, Norman | Driberg, Tom | Jenkins, Hugh (Putney) |
| Bagier, Gordon A. T. | Duffy, A. E. P. | John, Brynmor |
| Barnes, Michael | Dunnett, Jack | Johnson, Carol (Lewisham, S.) |
| Barnett, Guy (Greenwich) | Eadie, Alex | Johnson, James (K'ston-on-Hull, W.) |
| Barnett, Joel (Heywood and Royton) | Edelman, Maurice | Johnson, Walter (Derby, S.) |
| Benn, Rt. Hn. Anthony Wedgwood | Edwards, Robert (Bilston) | Johnston, Russell (Inverness) |
| Bennett, James (Glasgow, Bridgeton) | Edwards, William (Merioneth) | Jones, Barry (Flint, E.) |
| Bidwell, Sydney | Ellis, Tom | Jones, Dan (Burnley) |
| Bishop, E. S. | English, Michael | Jones, Rt. Hn. Sir Elwyn (W. Ham, S.) |
| Blenkinsop, Arthur | Evans, Fred | Jones, Gwynoro (Carmarthen) |
| Boardman, H. (Leigh) | Ewing, Harry | Jones, T. Alec (Rhondda, W.) |
| Booth, Albert | Fitch, Alan (Wigan) | Judd, Frank |
| Bottomley, Rt. Hn. Arthur | Fletcher, Raymond (Ilkeston) | Kaufman, Gerald |
| Boyden, James (Bishop Auckland) | Fletcher, Ted (Darlington) | Kelley, Richard |
| Bradley, Tom | Foley, Maurice | Kinnock, Neil |
| Broughton, Sir Alfred | Foot, Michael | Lambie, David |
| Brown, Bob (N'c'tle-upon-Tyne,W.) | Ford, Ben | Lamond, James |
| Brown, Hugh D. (G'gow, Provan) | Forrester, John | Latham, Arthur |
| Brown, Ronald (Shoreditch & F'bury) | Fraser, John (Norwood) | Lawson, George |
| Buchan, Norman | Freeson, Reginald | Leadbitter, Ted |
| Buchanan, Richard (G'gow, Sp'burn) | Galpern, Sir Myer | Lee, Rt. Hn. Frederick |
| Butler, Mrs. Joyce (Wood Green) | Garrett, W. E. | Leonard, Dick |
| Campbell, I. (Dunbartonshire, W.) | Gilbert, Dr. John | Lestor, Miss Joan |
| Cant, R. B. | Ginsburg, David (Dewsbury) | Lever, Rt. Hn. Harold |
| Carmichael, Neil | Golding, John | Lewis, Arthur (W. Ham, N.) |
| Carter, Ray (Birmingh'm, Northfield) | Gordon Walker, Rt. Hn. P. C. | Lewis, Ron (Carlisle) |
| Carter-Jones, Lewis (Eccles) | Gourlay, Harry | Lipton, Marcus |
| Castle, Rt. Hn. Barbara | Grant, George (Morpeth) | Lomas, Kenneth |
| Clark, David (Colne Valley) | Grant, John D. (Islington, E.) | Loughlin, Charles |
| Cocks, Michael (Bristol, S.) | Griffiths, Eddie (Brightside) | Lyon, Alexander W. (York) |
| Cohen, Stanley | Griffiths, Will (Exchange) | Lyons, Edward (Bradford, E.) |
| Coleman, Donald | Grimond, Rt. Hn. J. | Mabon, Dr. J. Dickson |
| Concannon, J. D. | Hamilton, James (Bothwell) | McBride, Neil |
| Conlan, Bernard | Hamilton, William (Fife, W.) | McCartney, Hugh |
| Corbet, Mrs. Freda | Hamling, William | McElhone, Frank |
| Cox, Thomas (Wandsworth, C.) | Hannan, William (G'gow, Maryhill) | McGuire, Michael |
| Crawshaw, Richard | Hardy, Peter | Mackenzie, Gregor |
| Crosland, Rt. Hn. Anthony | Harper, Joseph | Mackie, John |
| Crossman, Rt. Hn. Richard | Harrison, Walter (Wakefield) | Maclennan, Robert |
| Cunningham, G. (Islington, S.W.) | Hart, Rt. Hn. Judith | McMillan, Tom (Glasgow, C.) |
| Cunningham, Dr. J. A. (Whitehaven) | Hattersley, Roy | McNamara, J. Kevin |
| Dalyell, Tam | Healey, Rt. Hn. Denis | Mahon, Simon (Bootle) |
| Darling, Rt. Hn. George | Heffer, Eric S. | Mallalieu, J. P. W. (Huddersfield, E.) |
| Davidson, Arthur | Hilton, W. S. | Marks, Kenneth |
| Davies, Denzil (Llanelly) | Horam, John | Marquand, David |
| Davies, Ifor (Gower) | Houghton, Rt. Hn. Douglas | Marsden, F. |
| Davis, Clinton (Hackney, C.) | Howell, Denis (Small Heath) | Marshall, Dr. Edmund |
| Davis, Terry (Bromsgrove) | Huckfield, Leslie | Mason, Rt. Hn. Roy |
| Deakins, Eric | Hughes, Rt. Hn. Cledwyn (Anglesey) | Mayhew, Christopher |
| de Freitas, Rt. Hn. Sir Geoffrey |
| Meacher, Michael | Prentice, Rt. Hn. Reg. | Strang, Gavin |
| Mellish, Rt. Hn. Robert | Prescott, John | Strauss, Rt. Hn. G. R. |
| Mendelson, John | Price, J. T. (Westhoughton) | Summerskill, Hn Dr. Shirley |
| Mikardo, Ian | Price, William (Rugby) | Taverne, Dick |
| Millan, Bruce | Probert, Arthur | Thomas, Rt. Hn. George (Cardiff, W.) |
| Miller, Dr. M. S. | Reed, D. (Sedgefield) | Thomas, Jeffrey (Abertillery) |
| Milne, Edward | Rees, Merlyn (Leeds, S.) | Thomson, Rt. Hn. G. (Dundee, E.) |
| Mitchell, R. C. (S'hampton, Itchen) | Richard, Ivor | Thorpe, Rt. Hn. Jeremy |
| Molloy, William | Roberts, Albert (Normanton) | Tinn, James |
| Morgan, Elystan (Cardiganshire) | Roberts, Rt. Hn. Goronwy (Caernarvon) | Tomney, Frank |
| Morris, Alfred (Wythenshawe) | Robertson, John (Paisley) | Torney, Tom |
| Morris, Charles R. (Openshaw) | Roderick, Caerwyn E.(Br'c'n&R'dnor) | Tuck, Raphael |
| Morris, Rt. Hn. John (Aberavon) | Rodgers, William (Stockton-on-Tees) | Urwin, T W. |
| Moyle, Roland | Roper, John | Varley, Eric G. |
| Mulley, Rt. Hn. Frederick | Rose, Paul B | Wainwright, Edwin |
| Murray, Ronald King | Ross, Rt. Hn. William (Kilmarnock) | Walden Brian (B'm'ham, All Saints) |
| Oakes, Gordon | Rowlands, Ted | Walker Harold (Doncaster) |
| Ogden, Eric | Sandeleon, Neville | Wallace, George |
| O'Halloran, Michael | Sheldon, Robert (Ashton-under-Lyne) | Watkins, David |
| O'Malley, Brian | Shore, Rt. Hn. Peter (Stepney) | Weitzman, David |
| Oram, Bert | Short, Rt.Hn. Edward (N'c'tte-u-Tyne) | Wells, William (Walsall, N.) |
| Orbach, Maurice | Silkin, Rt. Hn. John (Deptford) | White, James (Glasgow, Pollok) |
| Orme, Stanley | Silkin, Hn. S. C. (Dulwich) | Whitehead, Phillip |
| Oswald, Thomas | Sillars, James | Whitlock, William |
| Owen, Dr. David (Plymouth, Sutton) | Silverman, Julius | Willey, Rt. Hn. Frederick |
| Padley, Walter | Skinner, Dennis | Williams, Alan (Swansea, W.) |
| Paget, R. T. | Small, William | Williams, Mrs. Shirley (Hitchin) |
| Palmer, Arthur | Smith, John (Lanarkshire, N.) | Wilson, Alexander (Hamilton) |
| Pannell, Rt. Hn. Charles | Spearing, Nigel | Wilson, Rt. Hn. Harold (Huyton) |
| Pardoe, John | Spriggs, Leslie | Wilson, William (Coventry, S.) |
| Parker, John (Dagenham) | Stallard, A. W. | Woof, Robert |
| Parry, Robert (Liverpool, Exchange) | Steel, David | |
| Pavitt, Laurie | Stewart, Donald (Western Isles) | TELLERS FOR THE NOES: |
| Peart, Rt. Hn. Fred | Stewart, Rt. Hn. Michael (Fulham) | Mr. Ernest G. Perry and |
| Pendry, Tom | Stoddart, David (Swindon) | Mr. James A. Dunn. |
| Pentland, Norman | Stonehouse, Rt Hn. John |
§ Question accordingly agreed to.
§ Ordered,
§ That the Order [13th March] be supplemented as follows: —
- 1. The Proceedings on Consideration of the Lords Amendments shall be brought to a conclusion, subject to paragraph 2 below, at Eleven o'clock to-day.
- 2.—
- (1) Paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 3 (Exempted business) shall apply to those Proceedings for one hour after Ten o'clock; but any period during which they may be proceeded with after Ten o'clock under paragraph (7) of Standing Order No. 9 (Adjournment on specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration) shall be in addition to the period under this sub-paragraph.
- (2) If any Motion for the adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9 stands over to to-day, a period of time equal to the duration of the Proceedings upon that Motion shall be added to the period during which Consideration of the Lords Amendments may be proceeded with after Ten o'clock, and the bringing to the conclusion of the latter proceedings shall be postponed for a period after Eleven o'clock equal to the duration of the Proceedings on the Motion.
- 3. In accordance with the Order [13th March], paragraph 6 of that Order (which relates to dilatory Motions) and paragraph 9 of that Order (which relates to private business) shall have effect in relation to the Proceedings mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Order as if to-day were an allotted day within the meaning of that Order.
- 4.—
- (1) If at the expiration of the period for which the Proceedings on Consideration of the Lords Amendments may continue by
1614 virtue of paragraphs 1 to 3 of this Order, those Proceedings have not been completed, then for the purpose of bringing those Proceedings to a conclusion— - (a) Mr. Speaker shall first put forthwith any Question which has been already proposed from the Chair and not yet decided, and, if that Question is for the amendment of a Lords Amendment, shall then put forthwith the Question on any Motion, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Lords Amendment or, as the case may be, in the said Lords Amendment as amended;
- (b) Mr. Speaker shall designate such (if any) of the remaining Lords Amendments as appear to him to involve questions of Privilege and shall then forthwith—
- (i) put the Question on any Motion, That this House doth agree with the Lords in all the remaining Lords Amendments except those designated by Mr. Speaker or, if none of the remaining Lords Amendments has been so designated, in all the remaining Lords Amendments, and
- (ii) if any of the remaining Lords Amendments have been so designated, put separately, with respect to each of those Amendments so designated, the Question on any Motion, That this House does agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.
- (2) Proceedings under sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph shall not be interrupted under any Standing Order relating to the sittings of the House.
- (1) If at the expiration of the period for which the Proceedings on Consideration of the Lords Amendments may continue by
- 5. In paragraph 11 of the Order [13th March] (which relates to Supplemental Orders) any reference to that Order shall be construed as including a reference to this Order.