§ Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.
§ Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(Lord Newton.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ House in Committee accordingly.
§ [The EARL OF DONOUGHMORE in the Chair.]
§ Clause 1 agreed to.
§ Clause 2:
§ Registration of money-lenders.
§ 2.—(1) A money-lender as defined by this Act—
- (a) shall register himself in accordance with regulations under this Act, at an office provided for the purpose by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, under his own and usual trade name (if any), and in no other name, and with the address, or all the addresses, if more than one, at which he carries on his business of money-lender; and
- (b) if a body corporate, shall have the words "Money-lending Company" as part of its registered name; and
- (c) shall carry on the money-lending business in all his registered names, and in no other name, and under no other description, and at his registered address or addresses, and at no other address; and
- (d) shall not enter into any agreement in the course of his business as a money-lender with respect to the advance and repayment of money, or take any security for money in the course of his business as a money-lender, otherwise than in all his registered names; and
- (e) shall on reasonable request, and on tender of a reasonable sum for expenses, furnish the borrower with a copy of any document relating to the loan or any security therefor.
§ (2) If a money-lender fails to register himself as required by this Act, or carries on business otherwise than in all his registered names, or in any other additional name, or elsewhere than at his registered address, or fails to comply with any other requirement of this section, he shall be liable on conviction under the Summary Jurisdiction Acts to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, and in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding three months, or to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, or to both: Provided that if the offender be a body corporate that body corporate shall be liable on a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred pounds.
§ (3) A prosecution under subsection (1) (a) of this section shall not be instituted except with the consent in England of the Attorney-General or Solicitor-General, and in Ireland of the Attorney-General or Solicitor-General for Ireland.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR (VISCOUNT HALDANE)My Lords, the Amendments standing in my name are designed to make the meaning of the clause clearer and to get rid of a certain ambiguity. I beg to move.
§ Amendments moved—
§ Subsection (1) (a), page 1, line 16, leave out ("his own and") and insert ("a name which comprises his own name and his")
§ Subsection (1) (b), page 2, line 21, leave out ("registered") and insert ("corporate")
§ Subsection (1) (c), page 1, line 23, leave out ("all")
§ Subsection (1) (c), page 1, line 24, leave out ("names") and insert ("name")
§ Subsection (1) (d), page 2, line 5, leave out ("all")
§ Subsection (1) (d), page 2, page 2, line 6, leave out ("names") and insert ("name")
§ Subsection (2),page 2,lines 12 and 13, leave out ("all his registered names or in any other additional names") and insert ("his registered name or under any other description than his registered name").—{The Lord Chancellor.)
§ On Question, Amendments agreed to.
§ Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.
§ Remaining clauses agreed to.
§ The Report of Amendments to be received on Wednesday next, and Bill to be printed as amended. (No. 101.)