HL Deb 14 June 1937 vol 105 cc608-9

Incidental Provisions as to Livestock Commission.

Constitution of Commission.

3. Every member of the Commission shall hold and vacate office in accordance with the terms of the instrument under which he is appointed; but nothing in this paragraph shall be taken to prevent a member of the Commission resigning his office, and a member of the Commission who ceases to hold office shall be eligible for re-appointment to the Commission.

4. No member of the Commission shall be capable of being elected to, or of sitting in, the Commons House of Parliament.

THE EARL OF FEVERSHAM moved, in paragraph 3, to leave out "nothing in this paragraph shall be taken to prevent a member of the Commission resigning his office" and insert "notwithstanding anything in such an instrument, any member of the Commission may resign his office by a written notice given under his hand to the Ministers." The noble Earl said: This is a drafting Amendment.

Amendment moved— Page 49, line 12, leave out from ("but") to the end of line 13, and insert the said new words.—(The Earl of Feversham.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF RADNOR moved to leave out paragraph 4 and insert: 4. A Member of the Commons House of Parliament shall ipso facto be disqualified from being appointed or continuing to serve as a member of the Commission.

The noble Earl said: I beg to move this Amendment on behalf of my noble friend Lord Cranworth, who explained its object in the course of his remarks on the Second Reading.

Amendment moved— Page 49, line 16, leave out paragraph 4 and insert the said new paragraph.—(The Earl of Radnor.)

THE EARL OF FEVERSHAM

In the course of the debate on the Second Reading Lord Cranworth referred to this paragraph as being very remarkable. What paragraph 4 does is simply to prevent a person being simultaneously a member of the Commission and of the House of Commons. Lord Cranworth said it had been suggested to him that the paragraph should be read in the latter sense, but he could not understand why it had not been drafted in another way. The explanation is simply that an Act of Parliament cannot impose restrictions or disqualifications upon members of the Commons House of Parliament, and it is accordingly necessary to disqualify a person from being a member of the House if that is expedient in given circumstances.

THE EARL OF RADNOR

I beg leave to withdraw the Amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

THE EARL OF FEVERSHAM

The next Amendment in my name is a drafting Amendment.

Amendment moved— Page 50, line 7, leave out ("the") and insert ("a").—(The Earl of Feversham.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF FEVERSHAM

The next Amendment is consequential.

Amendment moved— Page 50, line 14, after ("own") insert ("quorum and").—(The Earl of Feversham.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF FEVERSHAM

The next Amendment is also a drafting Amendment.

Amendment moved— Page 50, line 37, after the second ("for") insert ("effecting").—(The Earl of Feversham.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

First Schedule, as amended, agreed to.

Second Schedule: