§ 4.14 p.m.
§ House in Committee (on Recommitment):
§ House resumed: Bill reported without further Amendment; Report received.
§ Then, Standing Order No. 41 having been suspended (pursuant to the Resolution of December 10):
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORMy Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a third time. As the House will have seen, the Joint Select Committee on Consolidation Bills—and may I, in passing, say how much we are indebted to them for the painstaking work that they undertake on Bills of this sort—have drawn to the attention of Parliament the desirability of modernising the law relating to the powers of guardians in so far as it stems from Section 9 of the Tenures Abolition Act 1660. I am most grateful to the Joint Committee for drawing this to the attention of Parliament, and I should like to inform the House that I am now considering whether we could not do away with Section 9 of the Tenures Abolition Act 1660 as presently enacted in its ancient and cumbrous language. In particular, I suspect that the Statute Law Repeals Bill, which I introduced earlier this afternoon, might be a suitable Bill in which to do it if, after further consideration, I am able to recommend it to the attention of the House. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 3a.—(The Lord Chancellor.)
§ LORD GARDINERMy Lords, I agree with what the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor has said. With regard to the subject matter of the third, fourth and fifth paragraphs of the Report, it would have been my hope that the Law Commission, if they could do so, would take an early opportunity of considering the matter.
§ On Question, Bill read 3a, and passed, and sent to the Commons.