§ 4.38 p.m.
§ Order of the Day for the Third Reading read.
§ LORD AMMONMy Lords, on behalf of my noble friend the Earl of Listowel, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a third time.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 3a.—(Lord Ammon.)
THE EARL OF PERTHMy Lords, I had meant to submit to your Lordships this afternoon a question which I raised in the Committee stage of this Bill, and which the noble Earl who is in charge of the Bill had promised to consider. I read in Hansard of the 9th of April the answer which the noble Earl gave to me in the Committee stage on Tuesday, and it did not seem to me that, as it was there reported, it was altogether satisfactory. Therefore I had intended to raise the point again this afternoon. My attention has, however, been called to a correction which, was made in Hansard the next 785 day, April 10. This, frankly, had escaped my notice, as there is no mention earlier in the Report of the correction, and though read Hansard very carefully, it did not occur to me to look at the very end of the Report. Now, having read that amended version of the noble Earl's reply, I would like to thank him, and to state that the assurances given are as satisfactory as assurances can be, although I still rather wish that the Government had seen their way to accept the Amendment I proposed. I have ventured to draw attention to this matter because I think it may well be that some of your Lordships 786 missed the corrected version of the noble Earl's speech, and the matter with which he was dealing, so far as the people for whom I speak are concerned, is of considerable importance.
§ On Question, Bill read 3a, with the Amendments, and passed, and returned to the Commons.