HL Deb 08 December 1955 vol 194 cc1269-71

4.48 p.m.

Order of the Day for the House to be in Committee on recommitment of the Bill read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(Lord Strathclyde.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly.

[The EARL OF DROGHEDA in the Chair]

LORD STRATHCLYDE

Your Lordships will remember that this Bill, which is a Bill to consolidate with Amendments the law relating to police administration in Scotland, was, on Second Reading, referred to a Joint Committee. The Joint Committee have made a number of drafting Amendments, and with your Lordships' permission I propose to move them into the Bill en bloc. I accordingly beg to move that the Amendments made by the Joint Committee be agreed to.

Moved, That the Amendments made by the Joint Committee be agreed to.—(Lord Strathclyde.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

Clauses 1 to 10 agreed to.

Clause 11 [Regulations as to government and administration of police forces]:

LORD STRATHCLYDE

I desire to make a small addition to the Amendment to Clause 11 as printed on the Paper in my name. At the end of the Amendment the words, "as to" should read. "as to the." I rise to move the Amendment to Clause 11 as I have just amended it. This Amendment and that to the following clause are complementary. As the Bill stands at present, under Clause 11 (2) (f) regulations may be made regulating the scales of pay and allowances, and under Clause 12 (1) the police authority have to pay to members of their force pay and allowances in accordance with such scales. The existing police regulations, however, cover, in addition to scales of pay, matters such as entitlement to pay and special provisions for service in Her Majesty's Forces; and they do not include the actual scales of all allowances. If I may give your Lordships an example, the rent allowances vary according to the area in which the police officer lives, and the regulations provide merely that the scales of rent allowances must be approved by the Secretary of State. This Amendment and the next are designed to widen the provisions of the Bill in order to enable regulations as to pay and allowances to be made in the same terms as at present. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 8, line 25, leave out ("regulating the scales of") and insert ("as to the").—(Lord Strathclyde.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 11, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 12 [Pay, allowances, expenses and rewards]:

LORD STRATHCLYDE

This Amendment is consequential. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 10, line 2, leave out from ("with") to ("and") in line 3 and insert ("regulations made under section eleven of this Act").—(Lord Strathclyde.?)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 12, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 13 to 38 agreed to.

LORD STRATHCLYDE moved, after Clause 38 to insert the following new clause:

Financial provisions

"39.—(1) There shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament—

  1. (a) any increase attributable to the passing of this Act in the sums payable out of moneys so provided under any enactment providing for the payment of Exchequer grants towards the expenses of police authorities and joint police committees in Scotland; and
  2. (b) any expenses incurred by the Secretary of State under this Act.

(2) Any sums which by virtue of any provision of this Act are received by the Secretary of State from police authorities or joint police committees, or deducted by him from moneys otherwise payable by him to any such authority or committee, shall be paid into the Exchequer."

The noble Lord said During the passage of the Bill, it has been found that this new clause covering the financial provisions of the Bill will be necessary. I thought it right that your Lordships should have the Bill before you in proper form. This clause, together with other provisions affecting Commons privilege on finance, will of course be taken out of the Bill before it goes to another place by the privilege Amendments which I shall move formally on Third Reading. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— After Clause 38, insert the said new clause.—(Lord Strathclyde.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Remaining clauses agreed to.

Schedules agreed to.

House resumed.