THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF GAS SUPPLY (Hansard, 21 July 1986)

§ The Minister of State, Department of Energy (Mr. Alick Buchanan-Smith)
I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Paul Dean)
With this it will be convenient to take the following Lords amendments: No. 6, in clause 11, page 11, line 28, leave out "in writing".
No. 12, in clause 38, page 40, line 37, leave out "in writing".
No. 22, in schedule 5, page 77, line 18, leave out "in writing".

§ Mr. Buchanan-Smith
The House is aware that concern was expressed in another place that the director might, under certain circumstances, resign at short notice, whereby there would be insufficient time to find a suitable replacement. The suggestion was made that if a formulation could be found requiring reasonable notice, a suitable constraint would be introduced. The amendment put forward by the Government in another place achieved precisely that effect but it also removed the words "in writing", which we think are redundant. They are already included in the definition of notice in clause 48. That is also the effect of amendments Nos. 6, 12 and 22, which leave out the redundant words "in writing". I hope that the House will have no difficulty with the amendments.