HL Deb 15 November 1972 vol 336 cc712-4

2.49 p.m.

THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF LISTOWEL) moved Amendment No. 1 to Standing Orders (Private Business): Standing Order 1, page 13, line 94, at end insert: ("Where under Standing Orders 48 to 59 a length or distance is required to be stated, marked or described in Imperial measurements it may be stated, marked or described in metric measurements instead of Imperial measurements, in the case of measurements in miles, furlongs, chains or yards, to the nearest equivalent expressed in whole metres and, in the case of measurements in feet and inches or decimal parts of a foot, to the nearest equivalent expressed in metres (taken, where necessary, to two decimal places of a metre); and for the purposes of Standing Orders 48, 50, 52, 56 and 57 distances from one of the termini of a railway, trainroad or tramway (as the case may be) may be marked at intervals of two hundred metres".)

The noble Earl said: In moving Amendment No. 1 may I make a general observation about the four Amendments which appear on the Marshalled List? With the exception of Amendment No. 3, corresponding Amendments to Private Business Standing Orders have already been agreed to by the House of Commons, and your Lordships, especially those who have also been Members of another place, will be aware that it is essential that these Standing Orders should be the same in both Houses. The first Amendment which is now before your Lordships aims at giving promoters of Private Bills the option of using metric measurements instead of Imperial measurements in plans, books of reference and other documents which they are required to deposit with certain Bills. I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF LISTOWEL

My Lords, Amendment No. 2 will remove the doubt about the exact meaning of the words "ordinary spring tides". The revised form of words brings the Standing Order into line with the definition used in the Admiralty Tide Tables. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Standing Order 31, page 26, line 2, leave out ("line of high water at ordinary spring tides") and insert ("level of mean high water springs").—(The Earl of Listowel.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF LISTOWEL

My Lords, Amendment No. 3 is consequential on the partial repeal of the Sunday Entertainments Act 1932 by the Cinema Act 1972. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Standing Order 216, page 91, line 9, after ("1919") insert ("and"). line 10, leave out ("and (c) any Orders made under the Sunday Entertainments Act 1932").—(The Earl of Listowel.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE EARL OF LISTOWEL

Amendment No. 4 shows the increase allowed in the fees charged by the Official Shorthand Writers for attendance and provision of transcripts of proceedings on Private Bills Select Committees and certain sessional Committees. The increases, which came into effect last Session, were agreed by the House on a Report from the Offices Committee. I beg to move.

Amendment moved— Appendix C. Table of Fees, page 101, leave out Part VIII (Fees to be taken by the Shorthand Writer) and insert:— ("PART VIII. FEES TO BE TAKEN BY THE SHORTHAND WRITER

For each day he shall attend

Home … … … … 9.75
Distance of more than 60 miles
from Charing Cross … 11.70

For the transcript of his notes, per folio of 72 words:

When carbon copies of trans-
script are supplied … … 19 p
When no carbon copies of
transcript are supplied … 24p

Carbon copy, per folio of 72 words 1p")—(The Earl of Listowel.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.