§ Order of the Day for receiving Report of Amendment, read.
§ Moved, "That this Report be now received."—(Lord Nunburnholme.)
§ LORD FABERMy Lords, before this Bill leaves your Lordships' House I should like to make a few remarks upon it. Some of us in the West Riding of Yorkshire were, in the first instance, rather concerned about this Bill, because there the Registrar of Deeds happens to hold a very important position. We are particularly lucky in our Registrar of Deeds; he does his work exceedingly well. The present law is that no person shall be appointed Registrar of Deeds unless he gives his whole time to the office and has gone through a certain legal training. This Bill seeks to go behind that, and I will tell your Lordships, if I may, why I think this change is proposed. In the East Riding of Yorkshire they are particularly fortunate in having a very able, energetic, and popular clerk of the council. It is possible that there may be a vacancy in the position of Registrar of Deeds, and the County Council of the East 974 Riding would like the Clerk to the Council also to become Registrar. It would save money, and they think that this gentleman would do the work very well. That is not contradicted at all. The Clerk to the Council would do the work excellently, but he is not legally able to take the position because he will not give his whole time to it. This Bill is to enable him to take the position. As I say, we in the West Riding when we came to look at the Bill in the first instance were not quite satisfied that a Registrar should be appointed unless he would give his whole time to the work and had gone through certain legal training. But we are now satisfied, because it is laid down in the Bill that no person not fulfilling the two requirements I have stated shall be appointed Registrar unless the appointment has the special sanction of the Lord Chancellor.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to, and Bill to be read 3a To-morrow.