§ 31A. Schedule 5A to this Act shall have effect for the purpose of making provision about the rights of betting workers as respects Sunday working."")
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.—[Mr. Norris.]
§ Madam Deputy SpeakerWith this, it will be convenient to discuss also Lords amendments Nos. 13, 28, 37, 38 and 81 to 148.
§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsThis late group of amendments seek to rob workers in the betting industry of essential protection. The Minister seeks to imply that the only workers in the betting industry who should be covered by the provisions of the abolition of the Sunday trading legislation are those who are directly involved in the taking of bets.
Many people are employed in greyhound racing who do not directly take bets, and they will have to work on Sundays. The Minister is seeking to deprive those people of the protection that hon. Members on both sides of the House thought they had secured for them earlier in the summer. Those people include those who take the coats, work in car parks or perform other tasks on courses on Sundays.
It is quite wrong that this group of amendments should seek to limit the protection only to those people who are directly involved in the taking of bets. The amendments will rob all the other workers—the majority of workers in the industry—of protection, and will leave only a small minority of people protected. I hope that the Minister will accept that, in pressing this group, he will force us to divide the House.
§ Sir Peter Emery (Honiton)I have just one question for the Minister. Now that we are past clause 4, can he give an undertaking that the deregulation recommendations made by the Procedure Committee, both here and in the House of Lords, will be adopted by the Government? I am fairly certain that the answer will be yes, but it would be nice to have it confirmed.
§ Madam Deputy SpeakerOrder. That is not germane to what we are discussing.
§ The Minister for Transport in London (Mr. Steve Norris)The hon. Member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Griffiths) has made his case for being determined to divide the House when most sensible people understand precisely the nature of the amendment. As he says, it conveys rights in certain circumstances, as agreed during the contentious passage of the Bill. I see no need to detain the House by rehearsing all the arguments again. If the hon. Gentleman is content to divide the House, so be it.
Question put, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment:—
§ The House divided: Ayes 138, Noes 41.
1512| Division No. 334] | [02.29 am |
| AYES | |
| Ainsworth, Peter (East Surrey) | Arbuthnot, James |
| Alexander, Richard | Arnold, Jacques (Gravesham) |
| Alison, Rt Hon Michael (Selby) | Atkinson, Peter (Hexham) |
| Allason, Rupert (Torbay) | Baker, Nicholas (Dorset North) |
| Amess, David | Baldry, Tony |
| Bates, Michael | Kynoch, George (Kincardine) |
| Biffen, Rt Hon John | Lawrence, Sir Ivan |
| Booth, Hartley | Legg, Barry |
| Boswell, Tim | Lidington, David |
| Bottomley, Peter (Eltham) | Lightbown, David |
| Bowden, Sir Andrew | Luff, Peter |
| Bowis, John | MacKay, Andrew |
| Brandreth, Gyles | Maclean, David |
| Brazier, Julian | Maitland, Lady Olga |
| Bright, Sir Graham | Malone, Gerald |
| Brooke, Rt Hon Peter | Merchant, Piers |
| Browning, Mrs. Angela | Mitchell, Andrew (Gedling) |
| Burns, Simon | Mitchell, Sir David (Hants NW) |
| Burt, Alistair | Neubert, Sir Michael |
| Carrington, Matthew | Newton, Rt Hon Tony |
| Cash, William | Norris, Steve |
| Chapman, Sydney | Ottaway, Richard |
| Clappison, James | Page, Richard |
| Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey | Pattie, Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey |
| Coe, Sebastian | Pickles, Eric |
| Colvin, Michael | Porter, David (Waveney) |
| Congdon, David | Richards, Rod |
| Conway, Derek | Robathan, Andrew |
| Coombs, Simon (Swindon) | Roberts, Rt Hon Sir Wyn |
| Cope, Rt Hon Sir John | Robertson, Raymond (Ab'd'n S) |
| Couchman, James | Robinson, Mark (Somerton) |
| Day, Stephen | Ryder, Rt Hon Richard |
| Devlin, Tim | Shaw, David (Dover) |
| Douglas-Hamilton, Lord James | Shepherd, Colin (Hereford) |
| Dover, Den | Smith, Tim (Beaconsfield) |
| Duncan, Alan | Speed, Sir Keith |
| Duncan-Smith, Iain | Spink, Dr Robert |
| Elletson, Harold | Spring, Richard |
| Emery, Rt Hon Sir Peter | Steen, Anthony |
| Evans, Jonathan (Brecon) | Stephen, Michael |
| Evans, Nigel (Ribble Valley) | Stewart, Allan |
| Evans, Roger (Monmouth) | Streeter, Gary |
| Fabricant, Michael | Sweeney, Walter |
| Forsyth, Michael (Stirling) | Sykes, John |
| Forth, Eric | Tapsell, Sir Peter |
| Fox, Dr Liam (Woodspring) | Taylor, Ian (Esher) |
| Freeman, Rt Hon Roger | Taylor, John M. (Solihull) |
| French, Douglas | Temple-Morris, Peter |
| Gallie, Phil | Thomason, Roy |
| Garnier, Edward | Thompson, Patrick (Norwich N) |
| Gill, Christopher | Thompson, Sir Donald (C'er V) |
| Gillan, Cheryl | Thurnham, Peter |
| Gorst, Sir John | Tracey, Richard |
| Greenway, Harry (Ealing N) | Twinn, Dr Ian |
| Hague, William | Vaughan, Sir Gerard |
| Hampson, Dr Keith | Viggers, Peter |
| Hawkins, Nick | Walker, Bill (N Tayside) |
| Hawksley, Warren | Waller, Gary |
| Heald, Oliver | Wardle, Charles (Bexhill) |
| Hendry, Charles | Waterson, Nigel |
| Hogg, Rt Hon Douglas (G'tham) | Watts, John |
| Howarth, Alan (Strat'rd-on-A) | Whittingdale, John |
| Hughes, Robert G. (Harrow W) | Widdecombe, Ann |
| Hunt, Rt Hon David (Wirral W) | Wilkinson, John |
| Jenkin, Bernard | Wolfson, Mark |
| Jessel, Toby | Wood, Timothy |
| Jones, Robert B. (W Hertfdshr) | Young, Rt Hon Sir George |
| Kirkhope, Timothy | |
| Knapman, Roger | Tellers for the Ayes: |
| Knight, Greg (Derby N) | Mr. Bowen Wells and |
| Knight, Mrs Angela (Erewash) | Mr. David Willetts |
| NOES | |
| Barnes, Harry | Cunningham, Jim (Covy SE) |
| Beith, Rt Hon A. J. | Dixon, Don |
| Bruce, Malcolm (Gordon) | Foster, Don (Bath) |
| Campbell, Menzies (Fife NE) | Foster, Rt Hon Derek |
| Chisholm, Malcolm | Godman, Dr Norman A. |
| Clarke, Eric (Midlothian) | Graham, Thomas |
| Clelland, David | Griffiths, Nigel (Edinburgh S) |
| Cunliffe, Lawrence | Harvey, Nick |
| Hill, Keith (Streatham) | Purchase, Ken |
| Hughes, Kevin (Doncaster N) | Rendel, David |
| Jackson, Glenda (H'stead) | Salmond, Alex |
| Jamieson, David | Skinner, Dennis |
| Jones, Nigel (Cheltenham) | Spearing, Nigel |
| Kilfoyle, Peter | Speller, John |
| Kirkwood, Archy | Wallace, James |
| Martin, Michael J. (Springburn) | Welsh, Andrew |
| McAllion, John | Wicks, Malcolm |
| McMaster, Gordon | Wilson, Brian |
| Meale, Alan | Wise, Audrey |
| Miller, Andrew | Tellers for the Noes: |
| Olner, William | Mr. Jim Dowd and |
| Pike, Peter L. | Mr. Dennis Turner |
§ Question accordingly agreed to.
§ Lords amendment No. 13 agreed to.