SECOND READING. (Hansard, 24 July 1890)

* THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND (The Marquess of LOTHIAN)

In asking your Lordships to give a Second Reading to this Bill, perhaps you will allow me to say a very few words to explain what the object of it is. In Scotland, as your Lordships are probably aware, it is the practice for a great many persons both in regard to the occupation of houses and also in service to change their houses and their service at the respective terms 15th May and 11th November. But a practice has grown up in Scotland under which it has been customary for people to remove from their houses or to exchange their service not at the exact dates of these terms, but to be allowed a few days' longer before the actual removal from their houses or the transference of service takes place, the time being generally about a fortnight. It has been found that this time varies very much in the 673 counties and in the burghs, and the natural consequences has been that great inconvenience has been caused to those so removing, because sometimes they have to remove from one occupancy or service before they are entitled to enter upon another occupancy or service. To remedy this inconvenience an Act was passed in 1881 called the Removal Terms (Scotland) Burghs Act, which fixed the terms for removal as being the 28th of May and 28th of November respectively. But it was found afterwards that that Act, which referred only to burghs, did not do away with the inconvenience as regarded counties, and a subsequent Act was passed in 1886 which applied that Act to counties as well as to burghs, fixing the terms both as to counties and burghs as the 28th of May and the 28th of November. But that has not done away with the whole difficulty, because those two Acts did not refer to terms of service, and it has now been found that as the terms of service may vary from the usual terms of removal very great inconvenience, and in some cases even hardship, has followed from the present practice. The object of this Bill is to make the terms of removal of service; identical with those in respect of houses. I think your Lordships will see that it may sometimes happen, especially among agricultural servants, that a servant may be obliged to leave one service before he is entitled under the present Acts to take up another, and he may be without shelter for a few days. The whole object of the Bill is to make the terms of service in agreement with the two Acts of 1881 and 1886. I may tell your Lordships that this proposal has met, as far as I know, with universal acceptance in Scotland, where this state of things is prevalent. I have myself received many applications on the subject; and I am sure that, under the circumstances, your Lordships will see it is very desirable to get rid of what is, though perhaps, a small hardship, is one which it is extremely desirable should be remedied. I hope, therefore, your Lordships will give a Second Reading to the Bill.