Lords Sitting of 25 July 1876

MINUTES.
Sat First in Parliament—The Lord Hylton, after the Death of his Father.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Reading—Erne Lough and River* (189); Metropolitan Board of Works (Loans)* (190).
Second Reading—Medical Act (Qualifications) (184); Clean Rivers (182).
Committee—Notices to Quit (Ireland)* (165–188).
Committee—Report—Nullum Tempus (Ireland)* (171); Turnpike Acts Continuance* (175); Orphan and Deserted Children (Ireland)* (180).
Report—Legal Practitioners (Ireland)* (170).
Third Reading—Bankers' Books Evidence* (159); Queen Anne's Bounty* (141); Burghs (Scotland) Gas Supply* (172), and passed.

MEDICAL ACT (QUALIFICATIONS) BILL.
(The Earl of Shaftesbury.)
MEDICAL ACT (QUALIFICATIONS) BILL.

  [No. 184] SECOND READING.
  Order of the Day for the Second Reading, read.
  THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY, in moving that the Bill be now read the second time, said, its object was to remove restrictions on the granting of qualifications for registration under the Medical Act on the ground of sex. The Bill, therefore, provided that the powers of every body, entitled under the Medical Act to grant such qualifications, should extend to give them to all persons without distinction of sex; but it was provided that no person who, except for this Act, would not have been entitled to be registered, should, by reason of such registration, take part in the government of the Universities or corporations mentioned in the Medical Act. He moved that the Bill, which had come up from the Commons, be now read a second time.
  Motion agreed to; Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Thursday next.

CLEAN RIVERS BILL.— [No. 182.]
(The Duke of Buccleuch.)
CLEAN RIVERS BILL.— [No. 182.]

  SECOND READING.
  Order of the Day for the Second Reading, read.
  THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH, in moving that the Bill be now read the second time, said, that after the very full discussion which took place during last Session on the Bill which was brought in by the noble Marquess the Secretary the State for India, it was evident there was an absolute necessity that something should be done to prevent the wholesale pollution of the rivers of this country. The present Bill did not go beyond the prevention of the pollution of rivers which were at present unpolluted. Its provisions were simple. It provided that every person who should cause or permit to fall or flow, or put or permit to be carried into any clean river, or any clean part of a river, any polluting matter, should be deemed to have committed an offence against the Act. This prohibition was to be enforced by summary
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  order of the County Court of the district in which the offence was committed, and the person making default in complying with the order of the County Court, made himself liable to a penalty not exceeding £50 a-day for every day during which he was in default, and in the event of non-compliance with the order for one month, the Court might order the necessary steps to be taken to carry their order into effect, and award the expenses to the persons employed as a debt. An appeal was given to the High Court of Justice. The Act was made applicable to Scotland, but not to Ireland. He thought that as every question which had given rise to controversy in respect of previous Bills had been excluded from this, their Lordships would not hesitate to give it a second reading. The noble Duke concluded by moving that the Bill be now read the second time.
  Motion agreed to; Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Thursday next.
  House adjourned at Seven o'clock, till Thursday next, Eleven o'clock.