§
Clause 2, page 3, line 33, at end, insert—
("(5) The Minister may by order direct that subsection (1) of this section shall, in relation to pipe-lines of a class specified in the order, have effect with the substitution, for the reference to sixteen weeks, of a reference to such shorter period as may be specified in the order.
An order under this subsection may be varied or revoked by a subsequent order; and any such order shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.")
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, the effect of this Amendment is to add a new subsection to Clause 2 which will enable the Minister to specify in relation to particular classes of local pipe-lines a shorter period of notice than sixteen weeks, as Clause 2 at present lays down, which must elapse between notification of the Minister and the start of construction work. My noble friend Lord Merrivale had views on this which he expressed at an earlier stage, and he thought that very short pipe-lines of less than half a mile in length should be excluded from the Bill. I could not agree to that at the time because of the safety factor, or lack of it, because they would have been outside that as well. My noble friend will, I am sure, remember what the argument was at the time. At the same time, I understand there are known to be about 300 pipelines running outside the actual areas—the curtilages of factories—which are less than ten miles long. I did not know that about half of them are less than a quarter of a mile long, and some of them less than 25 yards long; that these very short lines often have to be relaid or replaced either in emergencies or in the course of day-to-day business; and that many of them carry substances which are not at all dangerous. I think that there is a real problem in this.
I think there is a definite objection on the ground of safety to the exclusion from the Bill of all very short pipe-lines. On the other hand, sixteen weeks' notification seems in some ways inappropriate in cases where continual minor 131 alterations may have to be made to lines of this kind, and the solution which is embodied in this Amendment is to give the Minister powers to require a shorter period of notice than sixteen weeks in the case of certain specified classes of pipe-line; and this would be subject to the Negative Resolution procedure. I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.
§ Moved that this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Chesham.)
§ THE EARL OF LUCANMy Lords, does the noble Lord contemplate that the class of pipe-line would be defined by the number of yards in length?
§ LORD CHESHAMNo, my Lords, I do not think that they would be classified only by length. They would be classified also by what they were carrying.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.