MINERS' WELFARE BILL

HL Deb 22 April 1952 vol 176 cc250-3

2.51 p.m.

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Earl of Selkirk.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly:

[The EARL OF DROGHEDA in the Chair]

Clause 1 [Cessation of royalties levy and dissolution of Commission]:

THL EARL OF SELKIRK

This is no more than a grammatical Amendment and it relates to a date given in the Bill. The Bill says that the welfare levy shall cease on March 31. As March 31 has passed we desire to alter the Bill accordingly. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 1, line 7, leave out ("cease") and insert ("be deemed to have ceased").—(The Earl of Selkirk.)

VISCOUNT HALL

In the absence of my noble friend, Lord Macdonald of Gwaenysgor, I have been asked to state that we shall offer no objection to these Amendments. We regard them as agreed. There is, however, one of them on which I should like to ask the noble Earl a question presently.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

This Amendment to alter the date for dissolving the Commission from June 16 to July 1 is necessary because there is a good deal of accounting to be settled up, and July 1 is about as soon as the matter can be put straight. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 2, line 1, leave out ("sixteenth day of June") and insert ("first day of July").—(The Earl of Selkirk.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 2 to 10 agreed to.

Clause 11 [Amendment of 9 & 10 Geo. 6. c. 59, s. 41]:

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

This is a similar Amendment to the one I have already moved. It alters the appointed day. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 9, line 35, leave out ("sixteenth day of June") and insert ("first day of July").—(The Earl of Selkirk.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 11, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 12 and 13 agreed to.

THE EARL OF SELKIRK moved, after Clause 13, to insert the following new clause:

Superannuation

". In section thirty-seven of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, 1946 (which provides for the making of regulations with respect to pensions, gratuities and other like benefits) the reference to the Board in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) shall be construed as including a reference to the Social Welfare Organisation."

The noble Earl said: In moving this new clause which was envisaged in my Second Reading speech, I should explain that the purpose is to enable the employees of the Organisation to be brought into the same pension scheme as the employees of the National Coal Board. It is done by extending the scope of Section 37 of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, 1946, and thus enabling regulations to be made which will cover the employees of the Organisation. At the present time the numbers at headquarters are not expected to be more than about twenty. It is obvious that an obligation for pension rights continues in respect of former employees of the Miners' Welfare Commission, and this is thought to be the most convenient way in which to deal with the Organisation's staff.

VISCOUNT HALL

I offer no objection to this Amendment, but there is a question I should like to put to the noble Earl, and that is in relation to the number of Workmen's Institutes which have in some way been brought into close touch with the Commission and, of course, will be affected by this Bill. I must declare an interest, because for over fifty years I have been a member of one of these Institutes which was established long before the Miners' Welfare Commission came into existence. Many of these Institutes have done excellent work and will go on doing so. My own was established in the early 1880's by the grandfather of the present Lord Aberdare, who did an enormous amount of work for young people. I can claim to have benefited greatly myself from the quality of the books put into the library of that Institute. I want to satisfy myself and others that there will be no interference in relation to these Institutes which were established long before the Miners' Welfare Fund was established, and, of course, have continued their independent existence with the exception of the acceptance of model rules under which they are entitled to certain of the benefits of the Miners' Welfare Fund.

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

I am glad the noble Viscount has raised that point. I did touch on it slightly in my Second Reading speech. The position is that the Organisation takes over certain property of the Miners' Welfare Commission but it does not touch in any way what was known as the social welfare trusts and agreements which already exist. They will remain fully decentralised under precisely the same trustees as exist at the present time. The only way in which their position will be changed will be that instead of being assisted by the Miners' Welfare Commission they will be assisted by the Organisation. So far as control and management are concerned, they will remain entirely as before. Accordingly this new clause affects only employees of the Organisation itself. I think, therefore, that the work of which the noble Viscount and other noble Lords have spoken with such warmth and feeling will continue. We all know it has been of great value.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clauses 14 to 16 agreed to.

Clause 17 [Short title, commencement, extent and repeals]:

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

The first Amendment to Clause 17 is purely formal. The words in the first paragraph are no longer necessary. I beg to move.

Amendment moved—

Page 12, line 23, leave out from ("1952") to end of line 24.—(The Earl of Selkirk.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

This Amendment is also formal. I beg to move.

Amendment moved—

Page 12, line 27, leave out ("shall be") and insert ("are hereby").—(The Earl of Selkirk.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

This Amendment, too, is formal. I beg to move.

Amendment moved—

Page 12, line 30, leave out ("on") and insert ("as from").—(The Earl of Selkirk.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Remaining clause, as amended, agreed to.

Schedules agreed to.

House resumed.