§ Lords Amendment: No. 1, in page 2, line 21, leave out "1st April" and insert "16th May".
§ 1.45 p.m.
§ Mr. Hugh Dykes (Harrow, East)I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.
I hope that I will not be out of order if I add my words of praise and tribute to those hon. Members concerned with the Hallmarking Bill. It is an important measure.
The supporters of this Bill are grateful for the work that their Lordships undertook.
Amendment No. 1 is entirely technical and I need not detain the House about it. New local authorities in Scotland come into operation under the 1067 Local Government (Scotland) Bill on 16th May 1975, not on 1st April, as do the new local authorities in England and Wales.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Lords Amendment: No. 2, in page 2, line 23, at end insert ", such chief officers of police".
§ Mr. Dykes1 beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.
This, too, is mostly technical. It arose primarily because of the suggestion of the Department of the Environment, but Home Office officials also endorsed the suggestion by chief officers of police that these words should be inserted.
The amendment is to ensure that the enforcement aspects of any local authority plans are taken into consideration at the earliest possible stage. Hon. Members will agree that in parking and other traffic regulations enforcement is one of the key factors. Without enforcement, even the most grandiose legislation can be an empty shell and. therefore discredited by definition. Chief officers who considered the matter were right to say that enforcement should be emphasised.
The amendment's purpose is to ensure that in their consultation processes local authorities consult chiefs of police, in the American language, what we would call chief superintendents or chief officers. I urge the amendment on the House because of the need for the police to have the full support of Parliament and so the nation in establishing a clear delineation of responsibilities for enforcement.
§ Question put and agreed to.