PUBLIC BODIES (ADMISSION TO MEETINGS) BILL (Hansard, 14 July 1960)

§ BARONESS ELLIOT OF HARWOOD
My Lords, in rising to move the Third Reading of this Bill I should like to thank very much those noble Lords opposite who were good enough to cooperate during the Committee stage, and, in particular, the noble Earl, Lord Waldegrave, for his kindness in resolving a somewhat knotty legal point which has now been included in the Bill on an agreed Amendment and which I hope and believe has improved the Bill. The noble Lord, Lord Morrison of Lambeth, made some comments about the Bill having been piloted through both Houses by Back Benchers, which indeed is true.

§ LORD MORRISON OF LAMBETH
Note quite in those words.

§ BARONESS ELLIOT OF HARWOOD
I hope that it is none the worse for that. The noble Lord has been the chief spokesman on this Bill from the other side. He has had years of experience in another place, and naturally one knows of his great expertise. The only thing about myself in connection with this Bill is that, although the noble Lord has had great experience in the other place, on this occasion I am the older creation in this House. Neverthless, I should like to thank him for his help in connection with the Bill. I read somewhere the other day: Here shall the Press the People's rights maintain, Unawed by influence and unbridled by gain. I very much hope that these words may be said of this Bill, and that its influence may be wholly useful among our public Statutes. I beg to move that the Bill be now read a third time.

§ LORD MORRISON OF LAMBETH
My Lords, I should like to thank the noble Baroness for her kindly references. I hope that in connection with the very apt quotation which she made there was not any implication that I had been guilty of influence. For our part, we should like to thank the noble Lady and the Government for the consideration they gave to the Amendments we put forward. I think we can all say that your Lordships' House has done a good job in connection with this particular measure, as indeed did the Members of another place, and that it is a much better Bill than it was before. I do not recall having described the noble Lady and the corresponding Lady in another place as "Back Benchers"—I thought I called them something else: but perhaps I was near the border-line of indelicacy, and I will not pursue that matter, beyond saying that I think it was a fair and just description. The noble Lady has been reasonable; the Government have been reasonable, and I think that this will be a useful measure in clearing up the state of the law on a matter which is undoubtedly of considerable importance. Therefore I would 299 advise the House, with the noble Lady, that we should now give the Bill a Third Reading.