§ THE MINISTER or STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE)My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a third time.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 3a.—(Baroness Tweedsmuir of Belhelvie.)
§ On Question, Bill read 3a.
837§ Clause 14 [Local Health Councils]:
§
BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE moved Amendment No. 1:
Page 7, line 46, leave out ("may") and insert ("shall").
§ The noble baroness said: My Lords, I find myself in some difficulty in moving this Amendment because in a sense it is consequential on the Amendment to Clauses Nos. 16 and 18 which are in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Hughes and Lord Hoy. Their Amendments, by using the formula "shall pay to members", would impose an express duty on the Secretary of State to pay allowances to members of the national and local consultative committees and their subcommittees. Therefore, on the assumption that the House will find the noble Lords' Amendments acceptable, and in order to ensure that the provisions of the Bill are consistent, my own Amendment converts the power of the Secretary of State to pay allowances to members of local health councils into a duty. I shall later be moving Amendments with similar purposes to Schedules Nos. 1, 2 and 3. I beg to move.
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Baroness for having moved this Amendment and for the indication that she is to accept the further Amendments to be moved. It would perhaps be for the convenience of the House if I confined the remarks which I propose to make at this stage of the Bill to what I am now going to say. All of these Amendments, Nos. 1 to 9, are on the same subject. At a time when we are increasingly being criticised for having a permissive society we are departing from it in this Bill because we have removed in every one of the clauses the permissive nature and we have substituted the mandatory "shall". I am grateful to the noble Baronesss for the extent to which she has accepted, and is going to accept, Amendments to the Bill. I think that we are going to send it to another place a more satisfactory Bill than it was when it was introduced. I have made such progress with the noble Baroness during the successive stages of the Bill that I almost wish that there were a Fourth Reading, because I might then get agreement to the two Amend- 838 ments which she has not yet accepted. I hope, however, that she may yet have second thoughts inside the Scottish Office and that in another place we may achieve 100 per cent. success in improving the Bill instead of the 90-odd per cent. success that we have at the present time.
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 2.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 7, line 47, leave out ("and committees") and insert (",the committees and sub-committees").—(Lord Hughes.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 16 [Local Consultative Committees]:
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 3.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 10, line 4, leave out ("including") and insert ("and shall pay to members of such committees and sub-committees thereon").—(Lord Hughes.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 4.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 10, line 5, leave out second ("and") and insert ("including").—(Lord Hughes.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 18 [National Consultative Committees]:
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 5.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 11, line 25, leave out ("including") and insert ("and shall pay to members of such committees and sub-committees thereof").—(Lord Hughes.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 6.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 11, line 26, leave out second ("and") and insert ("including").—(Lord Hughes.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
839§ Schedule 1 [Health Boards and University Liaison Committees]:
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 7.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 35, line 13, leave out ("may") and insert ("shall").—(Baroness Tweedsmuir of Belhelvie.)
§ Schedule 2 [Scottish Health Service Planning Council]:
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 8.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 36, line 11, leave out ("may") and insert ("shall").—(Baroness Tweedsmuir of Belhelvie.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Schedule 3 [The Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service]:
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 9.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 36, line 42, leave out ("may") and insert ("shall").—(Baroness Tweedsmuir of Belhelvie.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ An Amendment (privilege) made.
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords I beg to move that this Bill do now pass.
§ Moved, That the Bill do now pass.—(Baroness Tweedsmuir of Belhelvie.)
§ On Question, Bill passed, and sent to the Commons.