§ Read 3a: an Amendment (privilege) made.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORMy Lords, I beg to move that this Bill do now pass. Before parting with this Bill may I just say that it is not a Bill which is likely to cause any great excitement 472 among laymen. It is, I think, a Bill which makes a number of useful reforms in the law of property: first, in reducing by half the statutory period of title to simplify conveyancing; secondly, in making some useful changes with regard to that rather recondite part of our law known as land charges; thirdly, in making it easier to get rid of restrictive covenants which interfere with the proper development of land; fourthly, by enabling us to get rid of the peculiar forms of registration of title deeds which exist only in Yorkshire; and, lastly, by making a number of improvements in, and removing anomalies from, our law of business tenancies. When one considers the total number of small shops, with or without living accommodation over them, in the country, this is obviously a branch of our law in which where we find anomalies we should remove them.
I understand that, not being in any way contentious, the Bill will obviously go to a Second Reading Committee in another place. Before we part with it, I should like to express my appreciation to those of your Lordships who have been good enough to take an interest in the Bill, and particularly to the noble Viscount, Lord Colville of Culross, for a number of improvements which he was good enough to suggest and which we have been able to incorporate in the Bill.
§ On Question, Bill passed, and sent to the Commons.