HL Deb 06 December 1926 vol 65 cc1155-7

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

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Earl of Crawford.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly:

[THE EARL OF DONOUGHMORE in the Chair.]

Clause 1 agreed to.

Clause 2:

Definition.

2. For the purpose of this Act a blind person shall mean any person (not being resident in a public or charitable institution or in a school) who produces to the Postmaster-General a certificate issued by the council of the county or of the county borough in which he is ordinarily resident that he is registered as a blind person in the area of the county or county borough.

LORD MONK BRETTON moved, after "by," to insert "or under the authority of." The noble Lord said: This is a simple Amendment which I hope the noble Earl will be willing to accept. It has been the practice of London and the Home Counties to use a voluntary association for the purpose of the registration of blind persons—the Metropolitan and adjacent counties association for the blind. It has been subventioned by the London County Council and the Ministry of Health and it does their work under the principal Act. It would add to the expense of London and these various Home Counties if they had to have a separate registration and keep the registers themselves, as would be the case if the Bill remained as it now reads. I want them to have authority to delegate it to this association and I hope the noble Earl will be willing to accept the Amendment.

Amendment moved— Page 1, line 17, after ("by") insert ("or under the authority of").—(Lord Monk Bretton.)

THE EARL OF CRAWFORD

My noble friend's Amendments are very reasonable indeed and we really ought to have foreseen them in the original drafting of the Bill. We accept them and the Ministry of Health approve of them, too.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

LORD MONK BRETTON moved to add to the clause: The expenses incurred by a council under this section shall be defrayed in the case of a county council out of the county fund as expenses for general county purposes and in the case of a county borough council out of the borough fund or borough rate. The noble Lord said: I understand that the noble Earl, Lord Crawford, accepts this Amendment. It is so worded as to follow exactly the Blind Persons Act of 1920 and it is, I believe, agreed to by the City of London.

Amendment moved— Page 1, line 20, at end insert the said words.—(Lord Monk Bretton.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF CRAWFORD moved to add the following provision to the clause:— This section shall apply to the City of London as if it were a county borough and the Common Council were the council of a county borough and the general, rate were the borough fund or rate. The noble Earl said: This Amendment corresponds with that moved by my noble friend Lord Monk Bretton on behalf of the county councils. It makes the Common Council of the City responsible for certain administration under this Act and, in doing so, it follows the precedent laid down in the Blind Persons Act of 1920. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 1, line 20, at end insert the said words.—(The Earl of Crawford.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF LUCAN moved, at the end of the clause, to insert the following new subsection: ( ). In the application of this section to Scotland county borough' has the same meaning as in the Blind Persons Act, 1920. The noble Earl said: This is purely a drafting Amendment the object of which is to substitute for the words "county borough," which are not appropriate to Scotland, the proper designation according to the Blind Persons Act, 1920. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 1, line 20, at end insert the said new subsection.—(The Earl of Lucan.)

THE EARL OF CRAWFORD

After the convincing speech of my noble friend I have only to say that we accept the Amendment.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.

Remaining clause agreed to.