HL Deb 15 June 1920 vol 40 cc631-3

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

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(Viscount Astor).

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly.

[THE EARL OF DONOUGHMORE in the Chair.]

Clauses 1 to 5 agreed to.

Clause 6:

Provision with respect to local census.

6.—(1) If an application is made by a local authority to the Minister of Health asking that a census may be taken for the whole or any part, of the area of the authority, or for an area consisting of the whole or any part of that area and of the whole or any part of an adjoining area, the Minister may if he thinks fit submit the application to His Majesty, and His Majesty may by Order in Council, if it appears to His Majesty expedient so to do for the purpose of facilitating the due performance by the local authority of its statutory duties, direct that a census shall be taken for the area specified in the application, or for any part of that area.

(2) The provisions of this Act with respect to the taking of a census for Great Britain (other than the provision with respect to the interval between one census and another) shall, subject to such exceptions modifications and adaptations as may be specified in the Order, apply to the taking of a census under this section.

(3) Any expenses incurred in connection with the taking of a census under this section (including the publication of any reports or returns with reference thereto) shall be paid by the local authority by which the application for the census was made, and shall be deemed to be part of the general expenses of that authority.

(4) The expression "local authority" in this section means the council of a county, of a borough, or of an urban district.

VISCOUNT ASTOR had an Amendment on the Paper to insert, at the end of the clause, the following proviso— Provided that—

  1. (a) in the application of this section to the Administrative County of London the expression 'local authority' means the London County Council and the Common Council of the City of London; and
  2. (b) an application may be made by the council of a county and an order may be made under this section with respect to the whole of the area of the council, including the areas of any authorities which are local authorities for the purposes of this section."
The noble Viscount said: Your Lordships are aware that Clause 6 enables local authorities to have a special census for their areas. The proposed paragraph (a) makes it clear that the City of London may have a census for its areas; and paragraph (b) removes an ambiguity which now exists. As drafted the Amendment makes it clear that where a county council desires to have a census it shall include in that census not merely the areas of the rural district councils but the areas of the urban districts of the borough coming within the province of the county.

LORD SHEFFIELD

That does not mean county boroughs, I suppose?

VISCOUNT ASTOR

No.

LORD SHEFFIELD

Only administrative counties?

Amendment moved— Clause 6, page 4, line 30, insert the said proviso.—(Viscount Astor.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 6, as amended, agreed to.

Remaining clauses agreed to.