§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 3a.—(Lord Elphinstone.)
§ LORD GAINFORDMy Lords, I have been asked to draw attention to an omission in another place in connection with Clause 14, which was there inserted in the Bill to deal with accumulated funds that are eventually recoverable by a minor on coming of age, or under settlement by a person when he or she may got married. It appears to have been the custom in nearly all cases dealing with over assessment or where money is recoverable—in accordance with decisions in your Lordships' House sitting as the Final Court of Appeal—for interest to be paid on the sums recovered. In this particular clause no allusion whatever is made to the recovery of interest, and it is obviously just to the beneficiary that where funds have been held over by the Treasury and are then recoverable, interest should be payable. I know that it is unusual in your Lordships' House to introduce Amendments in connection with Money Clauses but I think it is desirable that the matter should be put right, if possible, either here or in another place. I therefore draw your Lordships' attention to it, and hope the Government will meet what was obviously an omission in another place.
LORD ELPHINSTONEMy Lords, in the unfortunate absence of Lord Hylton, who is in charge of this Bill, I suggest that the best plan would be to postpone the Third Reading until to-morrow, and in the meantime it will be possible to bring what the noble Lord has said to the attention of those concerned. Perhaps the noble Lord will put an Amendment on the Paper dealing with the point.
§ LORD GAINFORDI do not think it is for me to table an Amendment to a Money Clause in a Finance Bill, but I thought it my duty to draw attention in your Lordships' House to what was an obvious omission in another place.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDIt is, of course, not possible to amend a Money Bill in this House. But my noble friend, Lord Elphinstone, out of courtesy to the noble Lord, suggested that if he would formulate his case in the form of an Amendment my noble friend would communicate with the Treasury and see whether it was possible to meet him extra-legislatively.
§ LORD GAINFORDI shall be glad to communicate behind the scenes, and I accept the noble Lord's suggestion that the Third Reading of the Bill should be put off until to-morrow for that purpose.
§ Third Reading put off accordingly until to-morrow.