§ 3.14 p.m.
§ Order of the Day for the Third Reading read.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND SCIENCE (LORD NEWTON)My Lords, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a third time.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 3a.—(Lord Newton.)
§ On Question, Bill read 3a.
§ Clause 20 [Use of premises for exhibitions etc.]:
§
THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved to leave out "any exhibition, meeting, lecture or similar event" and to insert
the holding of meetings and exhibitions, the showing of films and slides, the giving of musical performances, and the holding of other events of an educational or cultural nature".
The noble and learned Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move an Amendment to Clause 20. Your Lordships may perhaps remember that during the course of our debate in Committee the noble Lord, Lord Airedale, raised the question whether the words which are now included in Clause 20 would be wide enough to include a concert. I explained to him that the intention certainly was that a concert should be included, but he pressed the matter, saying it should be quite clear that it was included, and I undertook to look into it. As your Lordships will see, we have altered the language. The language we propose to insert, in the place of the words,
any exhibition, meeting, lecture or similar event
is,
the holding of meetings and exhibitions, the showing of films and slides, the giving of musical performances, and the holding of other events of an educational or cultural nature.
There can be no doubt that those words include concerts; but, not only have we taken the opportunity of using words which quite clearly include concerts, but we have revised the formula to make its meaning and scope, I think, generally clearer. I beg to move.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 12, line 28, leave out ("any exhibition, meeting, lecture or similar event") and insert the said new words.—(The Lord Chancellor.)
§ LORD AIREDALEMy Lords, I am most grateful to the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor. Of course, I welcome this Amendment very much indeed, because I feel quite sure that the more special events of one kind and another are held in museums and art galleries, the better. I say that because it takes a special event of some kind to get some people to go to their local museum or art gallery, but once they have been induced to go there they become interested in all sorts of things they see there besides the special event for which they went. So an Amendment of this kind pleases me greatly, if I may so so. I welcome it very much.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, I also welcome the Amendment. As a Governor of the Commonwealth Institute I would say that they have a policy of this kind. We have a large and an increasing number of events of a cultural, artistic, eductional and other nature, and we find that these have a most beneficial effect upon the number of visitors to our main galleries. I am very grateful to the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor, and I should like to congratulate my noble friend Lord Airedale on pointing out what was possibly a defect, but, anyway, a matter which has now been put right.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORMy Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Airedale, for what he has said, and indeed for what the noble Lord, Lord Ogmore, has said, although I must confess I was a little surprised to find him expressing the view that the Commonwealth Institute would come within Clause 20 of this Bill, when, of course, it is a Bill relating solely to public libraries and museums, and when Clause 20 relates only to what a local authority can and cannot do by way of maintaining premises. But I understand the intent of what he says.
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ LORD NEWTONMy Lords, I beg to move that the Bill do now pass.
§ Moved, That the Bill do now pass.—(Lord Newton.)
§ On Question, Bill passed and returned to the Commons.