§ 3.26 p.m.
§ LORD DELACOURT-SMITHMy Lords, I have it in command from Her Majesty the Queen to acquaint the House that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Mines Management Bill, has consented to place her interest so far as it is concerned on behalf of the Crown at the disposal of Parliament for the purposes of the Bill.
My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a third time. This is a Bill which has been welcomed by both sides of your Lordships' House, and has been given a very speedy passage. Although it is a short Bill it is, nevertheless, an important one. Safety legislation must evolve to keep pace with developments in the mining industry, and the Bill is the latest step in this direction. It will allow the management structure at large collieries to be tailored to their particular circumstances. The improvements which it will make possible in the management and control of such mines 1114 and the supervision of operations will, we hope, lead to greater safety.
There is one matter which I should like to take this opportunity of clarifying. In the course of the Second Reading debate the noble Lord, Lord Byers, raised the question of the effect of the Bill on large-scale opencast operations. The reply which I gave to him at that time was correct so far as it went, but it would be appropriate for me to amplify it a little. I have been in correspondence with the noble Lord on this subject, and he has explained that unfortunately other commitments prevent him from being here on the occasion of the Third Reading.
On examination of the matter I find that opencast workings, which are often termed " opencast mines", are in law not mines but quarries. The main criterion is whether the getting of the minerals involves the employment of persons below ground. Accordingly, because this Bill is intended to apply to mines only, its provisions cannot be extended by Ministerial regulation to opencast sites. The Bill is deliberately confined to mines because relatively few men are employed at a quarry. The hazards there are different, and the statutory management organisation is simpler. Since there are no under-managers, the problem of their supervision by persons other than managers having statutory authority, or of their working on a shift basis, do not arise. I thought it an appropriate opportunity to amplify the statement which I made on this point on Second Reading.
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for the explanation he has given. I should like to make just one comment. This is a Bill which was introduced in the House of Lords. It is often said that it is useful to intro-duce technical Bills in the House of Lords because this House is able to give them careful study. The fact that we have not had long debates on this Bill is not because the House did not give it careful study but because, in the opinion of the House, this was an exceptionally well-drafted and clear Bill. Its purpose was clear, its purposes commended themselves to the House, and we did not need to have long debates.
§ On Question, Bill read 3a, and passed, and sent to the Commons.