HC Deb 02 November 1976 vol 918 cc1264-6
Mr. Graham Page

I beg to move Amendment No. 12, in page 10, line 7 after 'amending', insert 'or suspending'.

I hope that the Minister will accept this amendment, because he let us into the secret in Committee that on his brief he originally had the word "accept". However, someone had scratched it out and put "think again". The Minister said he thought he had better think again.

I explained to the Committee in the course of moving this amendment in Committee that the Statutory Instrument before the House relating to the licensing of bulls referred to suspending the parent statute under which every bull had to be licensed. After explaining that with great care to the Committee, I said that the Minister might think that I was talking a lot of—then I corrected myself and said "A lot of that animal". Yet Hansard, in its magnificent way of interpreting what I said, recorded me as saying that the Minister might think I was talking a lot of "fandanelo". It may have exactly the same meaning as intended, but it was not what I said. This amendment is not a lot of fan-dangle.

Mr. Eldon Griffiths

Can my right hon. Friend say whether the bull he had in mind was to be licensed by the pound or the foot?

Mr. Page

I cannot tell my hon. Friend that. I would if I could. I said in Committee that I knew the Minister was on the horns of a dilemma and that I hoped he would look at the right end of the bull.

In making the orders under this clause, however, the Secretary of State may well wish to suspend the Act of Parliament, but giving him power to amend or modify it does not give him the power to suspend it. We have the precedent in the Statutory Instrument about bulls, so let us follow that precedent and give the Secretary of State power to suspend the statute.

Mr. John Fraser

I must advise the House that as the clause is drafted it is wide and adequate enough to permit

Permitted imperial quantities in Schedule 4 to the Act of 1963
1. The following provisions in Schedule 4 to the Act of 1963 so far as they permit the use of quantities expressed in the imperial system—
paragraph 3 of Part IV (bread),
paragraph 3(a) of Part V (milk),
paragraphs 2 and 3(a) of Part VI (intoxicating liquor),
paragraph 2(b) of Part VII (potatoes),
paragraph 3(a) of Part VIII (miscellaneous),
paragraph 3(a) of Part IX (miscellaneous).
In this paragraph references to provisions of Schedule 4 to the 1963 Act are to those provisions as amended by any order made under section 21 of the Act of 1963 before the passing of this Act.

a suspension if necessary. Therefore, the amendment is unnecessary.

Mr. Page

It may be unnecessary, but I am tired of that word. If it makes the Bill clearer and if it follows a precedent already before the House, the addition of two words can do no harm. Personally I think it is necessary, hut even if it is not the two words make the Bill clearer.

I would hate the Secretary of State to say that he had to bring in an amending Bill in the future because the parent Act did not allow him to suspend it. We might be frustrating the powers of the Secretary of State by not adding these two words. As we are all getting so nice and friendly and pally, I think that the Minister should give way and let me have my two words.

Amendment negatived.

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