INDUSTRIAL ORGANISATION BILL. (Hansard, 10 July 1947)

§ LORD CHORLEY
My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a third time.

§ VISCOUNT SIMON
My Lords, my noble friend Lord Cherwell would have said a few words upon the Third Reading of this Bill, but he is obliged to be elsewhere, and he has asked me to make these few observations, in which I concur. He feels, and we feel, that if administered reasonably, as no doubt it will be, this Bill may in the long term be of considerable help in our drive for increased production. Like so many other Bills it has, I think, been improved in its passage through this House. It is common ground that the development councils which are to be set up under this Act can only serve a useful purpose 398 if there is a reasonable measure of desire for them in the industry. For this reason, we are glad that the Government accepted the Amendment put down by my noble friend Lord Cherwell, which shows that there is no intention of setting them up unless a substantial proportion of persons engaged in business in the industry and of those employed in the industry desires them. We are glad also that the Government have inserted an Amendment safeguarding, so far as possible, firms from the risk of leakage of their secret processes through the medium of these councils. The Amendment laying down that the number of independent members should not exceed the number of members representing the employers and the employed is also one which we welcome.
I would venture to add this, and I should be glad to know if Lord Chorley agrees. The Government Amendment, inserted at the Report stage, saying that the Minister should consult interested organizations before appointing members of the development councils might, perhaps, be held to mean that the Minister should not consult appropriate organizations as to the independent membership of the Committee. I trust that this is not the intention of the Amendment, and that the Minister will be left free to consult these organizations. I gather from what the noble Lord silently indicates that he concurs. I imagine that the Minister would usually wish to consult the organizations not only as to their own representatives but also about the independent members he intends to nominate. I make these few observations really at the request of Lord Cherwell who has taken so great an interest in this Bill.

§ LORD CHORLEY
My Lords, I am very much obliged to the noble and learned Viscount for the observations which he has made on this Bill. We are also very grateful to Lord Cherwell for his assistance in connexion with a number of these Amendments. I think that as amended this Bill has the support of noble Lords opposite, and I entirely agree with the noble and learned Viscount that if it is administered with good will on all sides it may well be a landmark in the development of British industry.