§ The Solicitor-GeneralI beg to move Amendment No. 3 in, page 47, line 31, at end insert—
'(3) Where anything is for the time being authorised or required by this Act or any other statutory provision to be done to or by a particular statutory officer and—The purpose of the amendment is intended to meet the situation where a particular statutory officer is temporarily unavailable. To anticipate the question of the hon. Member for Antrim, North (Rev. Ian Paisley), he will find the statutory officers listed in Schedule 3.then it may, unless the Lord Chancellor otherwise directs, be done during such unavailability or vacancy to or by any other statutory officer.'.
- (a) that statutory officer is not available because of absence or other reason and no person may, by virtue of subsections (1) and (2), exercise his powers; or
- (b) his office is vacant,
If a statutory officer is temporarily ill, it is not always convenient to replace him or to appoint a deputy. Sometimes it is easier to authorise another statutory officer to perform the necessary function. That is the purpose of this amendment.
§ Amendment agreed to.