ENACTMENTS REPEALED AND ORDERS REVOKED (Hansard, 6 November 1980)

§ The Solicitor-General
I beg to move amendment No. 7, in page 21, line 8, 1554 column 3, at end add: 'so far as it relates to British Shipbuilders'. This is a technical amendment. When the Bill was considered in another place by the Joint Committee it was suspected that the appointed day for the vesting of the property rights and obligations of British Aerospace, under section 1 of the British Aerospace Act 1980, would occur before this Bill came into force. It is now clear that this will not be so, and it is that fact which necessitates the amendment. I shall be happy to enlarge upon it if hon. Members wish me to do so, but that basically is the reason for the amendment. I hope that it will be acceptable.

§ Mr. McElhone
I thought that I heard the Minister refer to the rights of British Aerospace. I understood from the Amendment Paper that the amendment related to British Shipbuilders.

§ The Solicitor-General
I referred to the rights and obligations of British Aerospace under section 1 of the British Aerospace Act 1980. I said that it was expected that the appointed day for the vesting of the property rights and obligations would occur before this Bill came into force. It is now clear that this will not be so. Until that is so, it is wrong to repeal in its entirety section 3(6) of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977, under which British Aerospace has the power to enter into overseas assistance agreements. Hence the need to limit the repeal to British Shipbuilders. The power of British Shipbuilders to undertake such assistance is brought into the consolidation and is safeguarded by clause 2(1) and the entry in part III of schedule 1 to the Bill. I hope that I have answered the hon. Gentleman's point.