§ GENERAL DUTIES AND POWERS RELATING TO FINANCE
§ 1.30 a.m.
§ Mr. Graham PageI beg to move Amendment No 65, in page 28, line 19 after 'Council', insert 'by order'.
Mr. Deputy SpeakerWith this amendment it will be convenient to discuss Government Amendment No. 67.
§ Mr. PageEven at this late hour I must say a few words about the amendment. It is intended to go some way towards meeting amendments moved by my hon. Friend the Member for Northants, South (Mr. Arthur Jones) in Committee. The first amendment is identical to the one moved by my hon. Friend. It requires that any directions by the Secretary of State imposing financial obligations on regional water authorities are to be given by order.
The second amendment goes a little more than halfway towards my hon. Friend's second amendment. He would have preferred the order to be subject to affirmative resolution whether it sets a financial objective in terms of the return on the value of net assets under Clause 25(2)(a) or in some other terms under subsection (2(). Amendment No. 67 opts for the negative resolution procedure for orders under paragraph (a) and accepts the affirmative procedure for those under paragraph (b). We have gone a long way to meet the points my hon. Friend raised. I am grateful to him for raising them in Committee and for enabling me to look at them again. I hope that the House will accept the Amendments.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§
Amendment made: No. 67, in page 28, line 33, at end insert:
'(2A) An order made by virtue of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) above shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
(2B) An order shall not be made by virtue of paragraph (b) of subsection (2) above unless a draft of the order has been laid before, and approved by resolution of, each House of Parliament'.—[Mr. Graham Page.]