HL Deb 11 March 1965 vol 264 cc247-9

6.11 p.m.

Report of Amendments received (according to Order).

Clause 7 [Senior and district registrars and other staff]:

LORD HUGHES moved, after subsection 10, to insert: ( ) (a) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide for the payment by a local registration authority, subject to such exceptions or conditions as may be specified in the regulations, of compensation to or in respect of any person holding or deemed to be holding an appointment under this section or any officer or servant provided under subsection (9) of this section who suffers loss of employment or loss or diminution of emoluments which is attributable to any provision contained in this Act or in a scheme under the last foregoing section or anything done in pursuance of this Act or of any such scheme. (b) Different regulations may be made under this subsection in relation to different classes of persons. (c) Regulations made under this subsection may include provision as to the manner in which and the persons to whom any claim for compensation by virtue of this subsection is to be made, and for the determination of all questions arising under the regulations. (d) Regulations made under this subsection shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, at the Committee stage I expressed doubts whether the consultations with the three local authority associations on the proposal to introduce a compensation clause could possibly produce results while the Bill was in your Lordships' House. I am very glad to say that none of the associations has demurred from the proposal, and I am thus able to translate the assurance which I gave your Lordships into fact. The Amendment now before the House is very largely the same as that put down by my noble friend Lord Burden, which drew support from the noble Lords opposite.

There are really only two points of difference between this Amendment and that of my noble friend Lord Burden. The first is that in the first line we have replaced the word "shall" with "may", a change which will commend itself to the noble Lord, Lord Craigton. While this makes the provision permissive rather than mandatory, I have no doubt at all that the Secretary of State will make regulations for the purpose after due consultation with the interested parties. The second difference is that we have widened the scope of the Amendment to make it clear that all registration staff are included; it was not clear from my noble friend's Amendment whether or not officers and servants provided by a local registration authority under Clause 7(9) were included.

If this Amendment is agreed to, I cannot, of course, forecast what any regulations made under it will contain. However, in accordance with your Lordships' wishes, it covers both full-time and part-time staff, but, as I indicated to your Lordships at the Committee stage, it may be necessary to exclude certain persons or classes of person. I hope your Lordships will not press me on this matter, as the details of the compensation scheme will have to be discussed fully with the local authority associations and with NALGO before the regulations can be prepared. Any regulations will, of course, be subject to annulment and your Lordships will thus have an opportunity of expressing approval or disapproval at the appropriate time. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 5, line 42, at end insert the said subsection.—(Lord Hughes.)

LORD CRAIGTON

My Lords, I need only to say "Thank you", on behalf of my noble friends, on behalf of NALGO, and on behalf of those for whom they speak, for the form of words which the noble Lord has put down and for his diligence and speed in solving this important problem.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 8 [Registration offices]:

LORD CRAIGTON

My Lords, after our spirited debate on this point in Committee, I need now only thank the noble Lord for suggesting to me that I should try again by putting down my Amendment in a slightly different form of words which the noble Lord gave me. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 6, line 33, after ("stating") insert (", in characters which can conveniently be read by the public,").—(Lord Craigton.)

LORD HUGHES

My Lords, you will recollect that at the Committee stage I found it very difficult to fight this one very hard, and I have succumbed.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 53 [Regulations]:

LORD HUGHES

My Lords, this is an Amendment which is consequential on the compensation Amendment which your Lordships have accepted. Because there are now to be two sets of regulations possible, it is necessary to amend this to "made under this section" rather than "under this Act". I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Page 30, line 4, leave out ("under this Act") and insert ("made under this section").(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.