HL Deb 15 March 1916 vol 21 cc395-6

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Lord Chancellor.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly.

[The EARL OF DONOUGHMORE in the Chair.]

Clause 1:

Power of trustees to insure property against war risks.

1. The power of a trustee to insure against loss or damage by fire under section eighteen of the Trustee Act, 1893, shall, during the continuance of the present war, include, and shall be deemed as from the commencement of the present war to have included, a power to insure against war risks up to the full value of the building or property insured; and that section shall apply accordingly with the necessary modification of the limit on the amount to be insured.

In this Act the expression "War risks" means loss or damage attributable to hostile aircraft or to bombardment or to any operations of war or defence, whether executed by or against the enemy.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR (LORD BUCKMASTER)

The first Amendment standing in my name is a short Amendment which was suggested by Lord Muir-Mackenzie on the Second Reading of the Bill yesterday. It consists in introducing the date of August 4, 1914, instead of the words "the commencement of the present war." The date of the termination of the war may be uncertain, but the whole world knows when it began, and I quite agree with Lord Muir-Mackenzie that it would be better to introduce the actual date instead of the phrase now in the clause.

Amendment moved— Clause 1, page 1, line 5, leave out ("commencement of the present war") and insert ("fourth day of August, nineteen hundred and fourteen").—(The Lord Chancellor.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR

The second Amendment is to leave out the word "accordingly." Lord Wrenbury suggested yesterday that the word as it stood might be mischievous. I think it is unnecessary. As no one seems to have anything to say in favour of the word, I ask your Lordships to leave it out.

Amendment moved— Clause 1, page 1, line 11, leave out ("accordingly").—(The Lord Chancellor.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.

Remaining clause agreed to.

The Report of Amendments to be received To-morrow, and Bill to be printed as amended. (No. 9.)