§ Amendment proposed: No. 9, page 4, line 6, leave out subsection (2).—[Mr. McLoughlin.]
§ Sir Teddy TaylorThe Minister cannot simply ask us to accept that the subsection should be withdrawn without an explanation. The words to be removed state:
Nothing in this Act shall impose any charge on the people or on public funds, or vary the amount or incidence of or otherwise alter any such charge in any manner, or affect the assessment, levying, administration or application of any money".Basically, it says that it will not cost us a penny. The least that we should do is ask the Minister what charges he thinks might arise. What levies might arise? Several of us have expressed the view that this will cost us money. We must know why subsection (2) is being taken out. Do the Government now envisage that there will be charges, levies or something else?
§ Mr. McLoughlinI shall try to explain the point to my hon. Friend. This is a procedural amendment relating to privilege. When a Bill involving expenditure starts in the House of Lords, it inserts a privilege amendment which preserves the convention that the Lords does not deal with money measures. That is sidelined in black in the version of the Bill introduced in the House of Commons. This amendment removes that provision.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 7, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.