§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
THE EARL OF FEVERSHAMMy Lords, this is a short and simple Bill, solely designed to remedy a defect in the machinery of the Petroleum Consolidation Act, 1928, a defect which has only recently come to light, and it raises no controversial issue of any kind. Under the main Act, that is the Act of 1928, petrol cannot be kept without a licence, 375 which has to be granted either by the local authority or in certain instances by the Secretary of State. A change of ownership of premises where petrol is kept is, of course, a frequent occurrence, and in such cases hitherto it has been the practice of the licensing authority to transfer the licence to the new occupier, which is quite a usual, harmless, and necessary proceeding; but recently the Home Office has been advised that, in the absence of any express authorisation in the Act, there is in fact no power to transfer a licence from a holder to another person. Your Lordships will, I am confident, readily appreciate that this is a position which needs to be remedied without delay, and a single-clause Bill therefore gives effect to the proper transfer of licences. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(The Earl of Feversham.)
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.