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Lords amendment: No. 19, in page 17, line 3, leave out from "person" to "are" in line 4 and insert
who supervises the production and distribution, for the purposes of the ballot or election, of all the voting papers and the person to whom those voting papers".
§ Mr. CopeI beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.
The amendment concerns scrutineers who are provided for in the Bill to supervise elections. The amendment represents a small tightening of the scrutiny provisions that we asked for in another place, which were agreed by Conservative peers; hence the amendment comes before us for consideration.
It should be apparent on the face of the Bill, if the Lords amendment is accepted, that the scrutineer is required to supervise production of voting papers and their dispatch. We were asked to go a little further than that and to insist that the scrutineer produced and dispatched the voting papers, but we thought it best to insert this provision. Unions will, therefore, be free to opt for the scrutineer to print and dispatch voting papers if they wish. If they choose instead to print and dispatch the papers themselves or ask someone else to do it, they will do so knowing that the scrutineer is required to supervise production and dispatch of voting papers and to report thereon to members of the union. The purpose is obviously to ensure that ballot papers sent out have not been tampered with, or that some arrangement has been made to affect the result of the ballot. I commend the amendment to the House.
§ Mr. StrangThere is much that some Opposition Members wish to say on these matters but because there are other important matters we shall not detain the House. It is unnecessary to stipulate these provisions in statute but I accept that where a scrutineer supervises or takes responsibility for ballot papers when those are returned, it is logical that he should supervise their production and distribution.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Lords amendment No. 19 agreed to.
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Lords amendment: No. 20, in page 18, line 16, at end insert—
(8) Section 6A of the 1913 Act (application of sections 3 to 6 of that Act to employers' associations) shall apply to the provisions of this section, in so far as they relate to the requirements mentioned in subsection (1)(a) above, as it applies to sections 3 to 6 of, and the Schedule to that Act.".
§ Mr. NichollsI beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.
§ Mr. NichollsThese technical amendments are necessary for consistency with earlier legislation. The provision which presently governs political fund ballots contained in the Trade Union Acts of 1913 and 1984 263 applies to unincorporated employers' associations, as they apply to trades unions. These amendments ensure that clauses 14 and 15 of the Bill will apply similarly.
Amendment No. 55 to schedule 3 corrects an oversight in the drafting of the 1984 Act, which leaves trades unions and unincorporated employers' associations in a different position in one respect. The amendments will have no practical effect at present, as we know of no employers' association that currently maintains a political fund, or indeed has any intention to set one up.
Amendments Nos. 35 and 36 are technical, and are necessary to ensure that all legislative provisions in relation to political funds are consistent in their application to Northern Ireland. Their effect will be that the provisions of the Bill relating to political funds will extend to Northern Ireland, but will not apply, like present legislation, to any trades union or unincorporated employers' association that has its head office, or main office, in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. AllenIt would be remiss of me to let the clause go without putting on record the congratulations of the Opposition, and we hope also of Conservative Members, to the Institute of Professional Civil Servants on setting up its political fund a few weeks ago.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Lords amendments Nos. 21 to 23 agreed to.