§
[No. 4]
Clause 13, page 6, line 20, leave out ("may") and insert ("shall").
§ LORD POLWARTHMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 4. The Amendment requires the Secretary of State to provide in regulations for the submission of schemes by Health Boards for the exercise of their functions, instead 424 of merely giving him a permissive power to do so. An amendment on these lines was suggested by the Opposition. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Polwarth.)
§ LORD HOYMy Lords, I hesitate to detain the House at this late hour, but I am sure that the noble Lord, Lord Drumalbyn, will have noted that what we are dealing with is a great Scottish Amendment. I am told that it has now been moved for the 200th time. Despite all the arguments that I listened to from the noble Lord, this proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that "may" does mean "shall". It may be news to him, but at long last this argument has been settled. I felt that I could not let this Amendment go without saying how grateful I am for the new interpretation.