§ Mr. Peter Viggers (Gosport)I beg to present a petition from Sir Basil Brodribb Hall, Her Majesty's Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor. I ask for it to be read.
§ The Clerk of the House read the petition, which was as follows:
§ To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled.
§ The Humble Petition of Sir Basil Brodribb Hall, KCB, MC, TD, Her Majesty's Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor
§ SHEWETH
§ 1. That the Petitioner is the Solicitor representing the Respondent the Secretary of State for Social Services in an Application pending in the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court under No. D.C. 429/79 in which the applicants are the London Borough of Lambeth, the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Southwark;
§ 2. That in the said Application the Applicants seek an Order of Judicial Review directed at a Direction of the Secretary of State for Social Services dated 1 August 1979 and varied on 6 August 1979 appointing Commissioners to perform the functions for the Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Area Health Authority (Teaching);
§ 3. That in the said action issues arise as to whether the powers of the Secretary of State under section 86 of the National Health Service Act 1977 to appoint such Commissioners were applicable to the Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Area Health Authority (Teaching) in this instance;
§ 4. That the Secretary of State for Social Services gave written answers to questions on 5 July 1978, 10 July 1978, and 23 October 1979, and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave a written answer to a question on 23 February 1979, and the Chanceller of the Exchequer spoke in the debate on the Address to Her Majesty on 22 May 1979 and made a Budget Statement on 12 June 1979;
§ 5. That the said written answers, speech and statement are reported in the following Reports of Debates of your Honourable House: —
| Date | Reference | Column |
| 1978 953 HC | Written Answers | 226–7 |
| 1978 953 HC | Written Answers | 444–5 |
| 1979 963 HC | Written Answers | 334–5 |
| 1979 967 HC | Deb | 903 |
| 1979 968 HC | Deb | 246 |
| 1979 972 HC | Written Answers | 160–1 |
§ 6. That the above Reports of Debates relate directly to the issues referred to in paragraph 3 hereof; and that reference is desired to be made in the course of proceedings on the Application referred to in paragraph 2 hereof to the said Reports of Debates;
1704§ 7. Wherefore your Petitioner humbly prays that your Honourable House will be graciously pleased to give leave for reference to be made to the said Reports of Debates in the course of proceedings before the court on the said application.
§ And your Petitioner, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.
§ Basil Brodribbs Hall,
§ Central Buildings,
§ Matthew Parker Street,
§ London SW1.
§ To lie upon the Table.