§
Lords Amendment: No. 55, in page 111, line 1, at beginning insert:
(1) The Secretary of State shall not make any order under section 31 of the Licensing
905
(Scotland) Act 1959 (supplementary and local provisions) as that section had effect immediately before the passing of this Act; and no alteration shall be made in any licensing court or court of appeal by reason of any increase or decrease of population until those courts are reconstituted in terms of the said Act of 1959 as amended by subsequent enactments (including this Act).
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithI beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.
The purpose and effect of this amendment is to enable existing licensing courts and courts of appeal to function until the reform of local government unaffected by changes in population, which might otherwise require the establishment of new licensing courts for the relatively short period to 16th May 1975 when they would be superseded by the new licensing court arrangements in the Bill. The amendment is thus intended to avoid a short-term upset to the licensing court system by "freezing" the present position until the new licensing courts provided for in Clause 185 come into being in 1975.
§ Question put and agreed to.