PRICES AND INCOMES BILL (Hansard, 28 June 1968)

§ LORD BESWICK

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. This Bill is the one which we secured with a certain amount of exertion from the other place and which was read a first time yesterday evening. I thought it might be for the convenience of the House if I indicated briefly what differences there were as between this Bill and the No. 2 Bill which we debated yesterday.

None of the Amendments made on Report stage in the other place makes any substantial change to the Bill which we discussed yesterday. With one exception, about which I shall say something more later, the only significant Amendments—that is to say, the only ones of 1652 any practical consequence—are Amendments restricting the terminal date of standstills imposed by order or direction by reference to the date on which the order or direction was made instead of that on which it came into operation. Those Amendments are to be found in Clause 3. There is also an Amendment to Clause 4, limiting to a maximum of three months the period between the making and the coming into force of price reduction orders. In addition, there is an Amendment imposing certain restrictions on the maximum postponement of wages regulation orders.

The exception to which I referred is an Amendment to Clause 4, which deletes the provision limiting the application of the clause and which was originally inserted by a majority of one during the Committee, stage of another place. That Amendment was taken out during the course of the Report stage and after the Bill for discussion in this House was printed. I give those details hoping that they will be for the convenience of the House and make it possible for a more easy understanding of the No. 1 Bill when we come to discuss it on Committee stage. With that, my Lords, I hope it will be possible to accept the Second Reading of this Bill.