§ THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF DONOUGHMORE) had given Notice to move—
§ [.—That the Standing Orders relative to Private Bills be amended as follows:—
§ 24. At end of the Order acid the following:—
§
( and the Clerks of the Peace or their respective deputies, shall make a memorial in writing upon the plans, sections, and books of reference so deposited with them, denoting the time at which the same were lodged in their respective offices, and shall at all seasonable hours of the day permit any person to view and examine one of the same, and to make copies or extracts therefrom; and one of the two plans and sections so deposited shall be sealed up and retained in the possession of the Clerk of the Peace until called for by order of one of the two Houses of Parliament. In cases of Bills whereby it is proposed to alter or extend the municipal boundary of any city, borough, or urban district, a map on a scale of not less than three inches to a mile, and also a duplicate thereof, showing as well the present boundaries of the city, borough, or urban district as the boundaries of the proposed extension, shall be deposited with the town clerk of such city or borough, or clerk of such urban district, who shall at all seasonable hours of the day permit any person to view and examine such map, and to make copies thereof; and a copy of the said map, with the said boundaries delineated thereon, shall also be deposited at the offices of the Ministry of Health and of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
)
§ 36A.—Leave out "the Board of Trade, the Ministry of Transport, or the Ministry of Health"in the third paragraph, and insert"or any Government Department."
§ After Standing Order 147 insert the following new Order:
§ 147A. The Fees to be charged and taken in respect of Bills in the House of Lords shall be those set forth in the Table marked (B) in the Appendix.
§ II.—That the existing schedule of Fees be the Table of Fees referred to in the now Standing 'Order 1474 and marked Appendix (B), subject to the following amendments:—
550§ £s.d.
§ For the first day on which Counsel appear in support of a Bill 10 0 0
§
Leave out the first paragraph under the head PROVISIONAL ORDER CONFIRMATION BILLS, and insert:—
On second reading of a Confirmation Bill, a fee of £15 is charged to the applicants for each Provisional Order included in the Bill.
The same fees are charged to applicants and opponents at the Committee stage in the case of opposed Confirmation Bills as in the case of Local Bills.
§ The noble Earl said: My Lords, I beg to make the Motion standing in my name, to amend the Standing Orders relative to Private Bills. I can explain it very shortly. There are three points involved. The first point is really to bring your Lordships' Standing Orders into conformity with those which hold good in another place, in a small matter of procedure, and I will not explain further unless your Lordships so desire. The other two points cover the costs charged on Private Bills. One puts right an anomaly which, although it has existed for many years, I cannot regard as more than a formal one; and the other involves a change of policy as regards Provisional Orders, which is dealt with at length as a result of consideration which has been given by the House of Lords' Offices Committee and a sub-committee appointed by them. That matter will be before your Lordships in a few moments, and I will not, therefore, in the interest of saving of time, expound it at greater length, unless it is desired that I should do so. I therefore beg to move.
§ Moved accordingly, and on Question, Motion agreed to.