VETERINARY SURGEONS ACT (1881) AMENDMENT BILL. (Hansard, 8 July 1920)

§ VISCOUNT CAVE

My Lords, I move the Second Reading of this Bill, which passed the other House practically without opposition, and with the approval of the Board of Agriculture. The main purpose of the Bill is to enable the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to obtain from its own members an income sufficient for the performance of its duties. The Royal College consists of all the graduates of the five Colleges of veterinary surgeons in the Kingdom. It has very important duties. It is the sole body for conducting examinations of those who desire to become veterinary surgeons. It fixes the standard of education and the minimum period of study; it conducts the examinations; it regulates all questions of professional conduct; and it prevents those persons who are not qualified as veterinary surgeons from describing themselves as such.

Unfortunately, its income is not sufficient to enable it to carry out its duties. Some of the members of the Royal College do subscribe, but the income has proved insufficient, and the College has had to draw from year to year on its capital. The main purpose of the Bill is to authorise the College to ask from each of its members an annual fee of one guinea. The great 81 majority of the members are very willing to be so charged, and I think your Lordships will consider it fair that that small amount should be paid by those who belong to this institution. There are two other clauses. One brings existing practitioners within the Act of 1881, and the other provides that that which is an offence by an individual under the Act of 1881 shall also be an offence if committed by a Company. I think your Lordships will consider that all the provisions are reasonable.

I ought, perhaps, to add that in connection with the discussion on the Bill in another place objection was raised to a recent by-law made by the College, which was thought to affect the position of the old-fashioned unqualified practitioner. The by-law had no connection with this Bill, but, of course, it was convenient to raise the objection on behalf of the old practitioners on the discussion of this Bill. As a result, the College undertook to repeal the by-law to which objection is taken and to restore the old by-law to which no objection is taken. That is being done. The resolution to repeal the new by-law has been passed in the proper way and only now requires confirmation. That confirmation will take effect in a few days. I think that removes the last, indeed the only, objection, taken in connection with the Bill.