NORTHERN IRELAND (MISCEL LANEOUS PROVISIONS) BILL. (Hansard, 12 July 1928)

§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR (LORD HAILSHAM)

My Lords, this is a Bill which I do not think need detain your Lordships for any very long time. It is a Bill which I believe to be quite noncontroversial. It passed all its stages in another place in just over an hour. It is a Bill which deals with certain matters affecting the government of Northern Ireland and arises out of the difficulty created by the fact that there is a certain amount of overlapping resulting from there being some Reserved Services under the Government of Ireland Act, 1920. The provisions of this Bill have been agreed with the Government of Northern Ireland.

Clause 1 of the Bill gives power to the Parliament in Northern Ireland to confer jurisdiction on the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland to deal with matters stated for its opinion by any Court or other tribunal in that country. Clause 2 gives power to the Government of Northern Ireland to make regulations as to the standard of agricultural produce to be sold outside Northern Ireland. Subsection (2) of Clause 2 deals with uniformity of administration in matters relating to foreshores. Subsection (3) gives powers of consolidating in one Statute 989 Imperial legislation and local legislation. Subsection (4) gives power to deal with workmen's compensation for seamen on ships in Northern Irish Courts. Subsection (5) gives power to the Government of Northern Ireland for the settlement of disputes between Departments and persons. Clause 3 deals with the administration of intestate estates for which there at present is no provision made. Clause 4 contains provisions designed to simplify the distribution of moneys payable under the Land Purchase Act and is modelled on the provisions which have been found to work well in this country. I think that that summarises the effect of the. Bill and I beg to move that, it be now read a second time.