LOCAL GOVERNMENT (FINANCIAL PROVISIONS) (SCOTLAND) BILL (Hansard, 4 February 1954)

§ THE EARL OF SELKIRK
My Lords, I beg to move that the House do now resolve itself into Committee on this Bi11.

§ LORD MATHERS
My Lords, I think it may be appropriate for me just to say a valedictory word with regard to this Bill on this Motion. When we had the Second Reading on Tuesday, I indicated that there was a possibility that some attempt would be made to amend the Bill during the Committee stage. From the consultations that I have had, however, it has become clear that any attempt at amending the Bill could not bring complete satisfaction to everybody. Here there is being allocated a restricted sum of money, albeit quite a large sum, and to amend the Bill in favour of any individual local authority would mean that other authorities would have to suffer. None of us, I am sure, is prepared to bring disappointment to those who have already been given an indication of what they are to receive as a result of the passage of the Bill, nor do we wish to delay the passage of the Bill and therefore delay the payment out of the funds that are made available. So I say definitely that we should allow the Bill to pass as quickly as possible. Certainly I cannot find a possibility of moving any Amendment that I should look for this House to accept. That is the general statement I wish to make on this Motion.

§ THE EARL OF SELKIRK
My Lords, may I thank the noble Lord for what he has said. I think that the view which he is taking is a sensible one. It may be that, in places, there are elements of rough justice in this Bill, the Bill being as complicated as it is, but we are satisfied that the Secretary of State has got, as a whole, a very much better deal for the Scottish local authorities than was the case before. We are pleased for their sakes, even if the allocation may not be theoretically correct in every respect.