THEATRICAL EMPLOYERS REGIS TRATION (AMENDMENT) BILL. [H.L.] (Hansard, 19 June 1928)

§ LORD DANESFORT
My Lords, the object of this Bill is to secure the better enforcement of the Theatrical Employers Registration Act of 1925. The Act of 1925 was, by general consent in this House and in another place, passed for the purpose of affording protection to actors and actresses and theatrical employees generally against the grave hardships from which they suffered when their employers abandoned them in the course of their theatrical engagements and failed to pay their salaries and expenses. The main provisions of that Act were these. In the first place there was provision for compulsory registration of all theatrical employers, and the registration authorities that were constituted were the county councils and the councils of county boroughs. On them was thrown the duty of registering theatrical employers within their areas. The Act imposed penalties for breaches of the Act and the main offences which were thus penalised were carrying on business as theatrical employers without registration and abandoning employees in the 506 course of their engagements and failing to pay them their salaries or their expenses. These penalties were enforceable by courts of summary jurisdiction and in certain specified cases the court had power to cancel or to suspend certificates of registration.
The intention of the Act, as everyone agreed and agrees now, was admirable. It came into force on January 1, 1926. In the majority of, cases the theatrical employers have complied with the Act, but there is a considerable number of the less scrupulous employers who have persistently evaded it. Difficulties arose for the reason that the Act contained no effective provision as to enforcing the law thereby laid down. Registration authorities were given no power whatever for that purpose and the duty of enforcing the law was in substance left to the common informer. There were large numbers of cases of breaches of the law—some serious, some of failure to register and so on—and in February of last year there were on the files of the London County Council, which is the principal registration authority in these matters, something like sixty cases of breaches of the law and that number has since increased very largely. There were a certain number of successful prosecutions instituted by the Variety Artists' Federation, a body designed to protect the interests of actors, actresses and theatrical employees generally, but it was found that the expense of these prosecutions was very heavy. The Federation is not a wealthy body and it was found that the cost was beyond their resources.
The matter was then taken up by the London County Council, and in February of last year the Public Control Committee of that Council published a very important report, which was shortly afterwards adopted by the Council itself. The report said:— The Act fails lamentably in its primary object—namely, the elimination of the bogus manager—and it urgently requires amendment so as to empower registration authorities to enforce its provisions. The report went on to recommend that the Act of 1925 should be amended so as to empower registration authorities to enforce its provisions, and there were other recommendations with which I need not deal at the moment. These recommendations were sent round to 507 some of the principal registration authorities throughout the Kingdom and were approved by such important County Councils as those of Middlesex, Surrey and the West Riding of Yorkshire and by such City Councils as those of Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Glasgow. The recommendations were also approved by the Association of Municipal Corporations.
This Bill is now introduced for the purpose of giving effect to those recommendations. I believe that I am right in saying that it has the approval of the Home Office. The Bill itself is a very short one, practically of one clause, and it is purely an enabling Bill. There is nothing compulsory about it. Clause 1 says:— It shall be lawful for the registration authority … to institute and prosecute any proceedings for any offence under that Act. And it goes on to say that the authority may apply for orders under Section 7 of the Act, which gave power to the court to cancel or suspend certificates of registration on account of the failure of the employer to pay salaries. The clause also gives power to oppose applications made under Section 9 of the Act, which gave an aggrieved person whose certificate had been suspended the power to apply to the court for another certificate of registration. Those are the whole of the provisions of the Bill and I think I have said all that I need say to recommend it to your Lordships' House. I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

§ THE EARL OF PLYMOUTH
My Lords, I rise only to say that the Home Office give this Bill their whole-hearted approval. The noble Lord has explained very clearly the provisions of the Bill and I can only say—though of course I cannot make any promise of any kind—that if this Bill goes through unopposed it is hoped that it may be possible to pass it into law.

§ LORD DANESFORT
I should like to thank the Home Office very much for their support and to express the hope that, if time permits in another place and if the Bill goes through this House without difficulty, the Government may find facilities for passing it into law.