§ [Nos.1–3]
§ Clause 9, page 9, line 30, leave out "provision thereof is, in its opinion," and insert "Post Office, after consultation with the Minister, considers the provision thereof"
§ The Commons disagreed to this Amendment for the following Reason:
§ Because the Amendment is at variance with the purpose of the Bill, which is to give the Post Office freedom in matters of day to day administration.
§ Clause 26, page 29, line 26, after "reception" insert "or to operate a broadcast relay service"
§ The Commons disagreed to this Amendment for the following Reason:
§ Because the Amendment seeks to put relay operators in a privileged position by exempting them from the telecommunication monopoly which the Bill gives to the Post Office.
§ Clause 27, page 29, line 28, leave out from beginning to "either" in line 30 and insert "The Minister may grant a licence"
§ The Commons disagreed to this Amendment for the following Reason:
1194§ Because the Amendment is inconsistent with the grant to the Post Office of a telecommunication monopoly.
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, in moving that this House doth not insist on these three Amendments may I just say that when your Lordships considered the Post Office Bill a number of Amendments moved by the other side of the House were accepted, and there were five which were taken to a Division and on which the Government were defeated. The other place therefore had five Amendments of the Lords to consider. I think it worth saying that the Government and the other place, after further consideration of what was involved and the reasons put forward by noble Lords opposite—including the noble Lord, Lord Denham, in particular, on one of them—accepted two of the five Amendments. I think this was a fair score and that it ought to be recorded. On the basis of that indication of the good will of the Government, I hope that, in asking your Lordships to accept the Commons decision on the other three, it will not be necessary for me to explain it beyond the explanation set out on the Order Paper. I beg to move that this House doth not insist on its Amendments Nos. 1 to 3, to which the Commons have disagreed.
§ Moved, That this House doth not insist on the said Amendments to which the Commons have disagreed.—(Lord Beswick.)
§ Lord DENHAMMy Lords, we on this side of the House are naturally disappointed that Her Majesty's Government saw fit to ask another place to reject the three Amendments we are considering today. I hope Her Majesty's Government will keep a particular eye open to see that none of the fears expressed in both Houses on these issues are justified by events. We on these Benches certainly will. As the noble Lord, Lord Beswick, has said, Her Majesty's Government have accepted two out of the five Amendments pressed in your Lordships' House. In view of that not unsatisfactory percentage, I feel that it would be churlish to dwell more on the three failures. I should therefore like to thank Her Majesty's Government for their change of heart over the other two. I should particularly like to thank Her Majesty's Government and the Post Office for accepting the Amendment, first 1195 moved at a very late stage in the Bill's progress, which extends the Post Office immunity to shipping companies, air lines and others when carrying mail.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.