§ Mr. SheldonI beg to move Amendment No. 44, in page 2, leave out lines 23 and 24.
The Amendment concerns the Geneva Protocol, which we discussed at some length in Committee, when a situation arose which should never arise again. We passed a clause on an important matter, allowing the Government to change the drawbacks, because of a protocol of whose existence we had no knowledge. We did not even know what language it was in, where it was, or whether or not it applied to Geneva.
It was a disgraceful occasion. Given the opportunity to withdraw the provision and bring it back on Report, the Government insisted on accepting a provision about which the Committee could know nothing because the Minister knew nothing. We must make sure that a Committee does not make such a mockery of itself again.
Looking back, the Government might be sorry that they did not accept the Amendment and bring the provision back on Report. It would have expended no time and would have treated the Committee with the minimum courtesy to which it was entitled.
We now know something more about this protocol. It is a means of fitting in with the requirements of the EEC. Now that we know this, I want only to draw the moral that in any future situation in which the Government cannot make out a case, cannot even, for lack of proper information, comment on the case, it must be their duty to leave out the provisions concerned until Report. Today's proceedings have shown that we are not short of additions, produced in the last few weeks, to the Bill. It is a great pity that one of those additions was not the matter to which the Amendment relates.
§ Mr. HigginsI remarked in Committee on 7th May that I should have been very surprised if a similar Amendment to that which we discussed then were not selected for discussion on Report, and I am not surprised that it has been.
I understand very well the points made by the hon. Member for Ashton-under 1444 Lyne (Mr. Sheldon). At the time, I apologised to the Committee for the confusion which arose with regard to the Geneva Protocol. I do not accept, as the hon. Gentleman suggested, that it would have been right to delete this section at that stage because we did not have sufficient information on which to take a decision. But the hon. Gentleman is right that the text was not avail able. It was made available on 7th May, in the Committee and in the Library. I emphasised on 7th May, and, I think, on 2nd May, that the certified text had not been received from the country concerned with that certification, namely, Sweden. On 7th May I said that there was no reason to suppose that the text would differ significantly in any material particular from that which was eventually certified. The text made available to the Committee on 7th May does not differ in any material particular.
The certified text has attached to it a list of minor textual corrigenda. To that extent the certified copy differs from the working text given to the Committee. But the corrigenda are minor and in no way relate to the United Kingdom regulations on revenue duties. That being so, I have taken very careful steps to ensure that copies of the certified text have been available in the Library and the Vote Office.
I contemplated whether I should go around personally through the corridors to ensure that everyone was aware of this, but I do not think that hon. Members have had difficulties in obtaining it. It has not yet been printed—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] I should make this clear. There will be no more corrigenda, but the text has not been printed because, as the House knows, there have been difficulties with printing and the document was received only a short time ago. However, the text now in the Library and the Vote Office is the certified text with the corrigenda attached to it so that hon. Members can see how it differs from the previous document.
The hon. Gentleman was right to say that there is a lesson to be learned here. That lesson has been learned. I hope that an occasion does not again arise where a document related to a particular clause in a Finance Bill is not available in the way in which it ought to be.
1445 From what the hon. Gentleman said, I gather that he did not wish me to dilate at length on the technical details of the three lines which we pursued at considerable length. They relate to the protective element in customs revenue duties and are very limited not only in scope but also in time.
With that in view, I hope that the hon. Gentleman will feel able to withdraw the amendment.
§ Mr. SheldonWith the leave of the House, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I should like to reply. I hope that the House has seen the chastened faces on the Government Front Bench. On this occasion the lesson has been learned. In view of the promise to do better, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.