[No. 7]
§
Clause 14, page 7, line 38, at end insert—
("( ) The members of a local health council may appoint one of their own number as the chairman of the council.")
§ LORD POLWARTHMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 7. It has always been intended that the members of a local health council might 425 appoint their own chairman, but it was thought unnecessary to include the provision in the Statute since it could have been covered in procedural regulations. An opposition Amendment to make specific provision in the Bill was, however, accepted.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Polwarth.)
§ LORD HOYMy Lords, I think that the Government were quite right to accept this Amendment. Some months ago I had the privilege of being elected chairman of a rather large college of further education in Edinburgh in which we have some 3,500 students, and we hope to have not less than 5,000 by the middle of next year. It is right, I think, when you are going to have a chairman, that he is elected by the people concerned. It may well be true that you say, "We understand that this is going to happen", but I think it is always better, when your intention is clear, to make it clear in the Bill itself. It leaves no ambiguity and in many ways and many cases avoids trouble inside organisations of this kind. I want to express the pleasure of the Opposition that this Amendment was accepted.