§ 7.42 p.m.
§ Order of the Day for receiving the Report of Amendments read.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, in moving that this Report be now received, I would like to make a short statement concerning two matters that were raised in the form of questions by the noble Lord, Lord Llewellin, during the Committee stage. In Committee, on the Question whether Clause 15 stand part of the Bill, 920 the noble Lord asked whether the governing bodies of hospitals which were contemplating agreements under this clause should bear in mind the possibility of
an unknown and unlimited liability in the matter of a deficiency contribution to the Minister's superannuation account.The detailed machinery to be applied to these agreements is still being studied, but it is possible that the calculation of actuarial deficiencies in the schemes of particular hospitals would, contrary to the impression which, on advice, I gave in the course of my reply, involve excessively detailed administrative work. It will therefore probably be necessary to fall back on the usual method of dealing with these arrangements, which is as the noble Lord outlined in his speech.The second part of the statement has reference to the new clause dealing with additional functions of the medical practices committee. The noble Lord, Lord Llewellin, asked whether there would not be consequential Amendments to Sections 33 and 34 of the Act of 1946. I am advised that no Amendment of these sections is required. The new clause does not in any way conflict with Section 33 of the Act of 1946. There is no intention of empowering the medical practices committee, instead of the executive councils, to arrange for the distribution of patients—indeed, the powers conferred in the new clause could not be used for this purpose. Section 34 of the Act of 1946 does, as the noble Lord stated in the House, limit the functions which devolve on the medical practices committee. It is this limitation which is removed by the new clause, and it is not necessary to write any words into Section 34 in order to achieve this. I beg to move that the Report be now received.
§ Moved, That the Report be now received.—(Lord Shepherd.)
§ LORD LLEWELLINMy Lords, I am obliged to the noble Lord for having gone into the questions which I asked on Committee stage, and for telling me that no amendment to Section 33 of the 1946 Act is intended, and that no amendment of Section 34 is necessary, because that is what the new clause that was put into the Bill already does. I am also obliged to the noble Lord for saying that I was right on the point about superannuation. I made that point only because I thought it was right that hospitals who were contemplating embarking on this scheme 921 should know the liabilities attaching, as I indicated in my speech on the Committee stage. As there are no Amendments down for Report, I presume that we shall go straight ahead with the Bill.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to, land Amendments reported accordingly.