HL Deb 08 August 1907 vol 180 cc275-7

Commons Amendments considered (according to order).

EARL CARMNGTON

My Lords, I have only one Amendment to move, and that is an Amendment to Clause 4 of the Bill. That clause prescribes the machinery for making Provisional Orders under this Bill. The procedure is that the Board must make a local inquiry before making an Order. After the draft Order is made they may hold a second local inquiry if objections are made to the Order. The clause has been amended in the Commons so as to provide that the Board must hold a second local inquiry if the county council object to the Order, and, therefore, the clause would read thus— The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries may, if they think it expedient, and shall if any county council objects to the draft Order, hold a local inquiry by an inspector or other officer of the Board with respect to any objections made to the draft Order, and shall after considering all such objections and the Report of the officer who held the inquiry (if any) thereon, settle the terms of the draft Order. I beg to move that the Commons Amendments be considered. The other two Amendments on Clause 6 are merely privilege Amendments, which I need not read, inserting the words, "at the expense of the county councils." I beg to move that the Commons Amendment to the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Bill be agreed to.

Moved, "That the Commons Amendments be agreed to."—(Earl Carrington.)

LORD NEWTON

asked why the Amendments did not appear on the Paper. The explanation of the noble Earl might have been extremely lucid, but he could not follow it altogether. The method adopted on this occasion did not seem a satisfactory kind of precedent, and he would be glad if the noble Lord would be good enough to explain why the Amendments had not been printed.

EARL CARRINGTON

If the noble Lord wishes, I can take it to-morrow, but the Amendments are really very formal—there is really nothing in them—and the one I tried to explain to the House is the only one that requires explanation. The others are merely privilege Amendments, and I therefore hope that the noble Lord will not raise any objections.

LORD NEWTON

said he did not want to raise any objection, but it seemed to him rather an unbusiness-like way of doing things. He hoped the same principle was not going to be applied to all the other Bills which were coming before the House.