LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL

HL Deb 16 October 1972 vol 335 cc1568-70

4.2 p.m.

THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (LORD ABERDARE) rose to move, That the Amendments for the Report stage of the Local Government Bill be marshalled and considered in the following order, viz.:—

• Clause 1,
• Schedule 1,
• Clauses 2 to 8,
• Schedule 2,
• Clauses 9 to 18,
• Schedule 3,
• Clauses 19 and 20,
• Schedule 4,
• Clauses 21 to 37,
• Schedule 5,
• Clauses 38 to 45.
• Schedule 6,
• Clause 46,
• Schedule 7,
• Clauses 47 to 53
• Schedule 8,
• Clauses 54 to 63
• Schedule 9,
• Clause 64,
• Schedule 10,
• Clauses 65 to 78
• Schedule 11,
• Clauses 79 to 98
• Schedule 12,
• Clauses 99 to 169
• Schedule 13,
• Clauses 170 to 177
• Schedule 14,
• Clause 178,
• Schedule 15,
• Clause 179,
• Schedule 16,
• Clauses 180 and 181,
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• Schedule 17,
• Clause 182,
• Schedule 18,
• Clause 183,
• Schedule 19,
• Clause 184,
• Schedule 20,
• Clause 185,
• Schedule 21,
• Clauses 186 to 189,
• Schedule 22,
• Clauses 190 and 191,
• Schedule 23,
• Clauses 192 to 198,
• Schedule 24,
• Clauses 199 and 200,
• Schedule 25,
• Clauses 201 to 210,
• Schedule 26,
• Clauses 211 to 213,
• Schedule 27,
• Clauses 214 to 217,
• Schedule 28,
• Clauses 218 to 247,
• Schedule 29,
• Clauses 248 to 267,
• Schedule 30,
• Clause 268.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, I should like to move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, may I make two brief remarks? First, the correct Marshalled List is the one numbered at the bottom "189–II" and dated on the back "13th October, 1972". It should have been headed "Revised Marshalled List" because there was a previous one. There is another point that I would make to those noble Lords who may be daunted by the size of this document. There is available now in the Printed Paper Office, in the Princes' Chamber and in the Peers Lobby a sheet of paper which endeavours to describe the main subjects for debate after we get through the territorial matters that form Parts I and II. Your Lordships will see that there are eleven such main subjects; so that perhaps it is not quite as daunting in that light as the document itself appears to be. I beg to move.

Moved, That the Amendments for the Report stage of the Local Government Bill be marshalled and considered in the order set out on the Order Paper.—(Lord A berdare.)

LORD CHAMPION

My Lords, I am grateful for what the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare, has said, particularly about the Paper that he has made available giving what I regard as the major matters which will be discussed in the forthcoming days. I am bound to say that a Marshalled List of some 410 Amendments is certainly a formidable one for the Report stage of a Bill—a Bill which is in itself a very formidable, lengthy and complex one—but we will do our best with it. But we should perhaps consider whether we ought not to lengthen the Report stage to include Thursday and to take the Third Reading on Friday. However, that is a matter which should be discussed through the usual channels to-morrow night, after we have seen how we have got on. I do not want particularly to press at this stage but we really must consider it. My Lords, there is another point. The Marshalled List to which the noble Lord has referred is not complete. An Amendment that went down last Wednesday has not yet found its way into the Marshalled List; but I am putting this right with the Clerks. I accept what the noble Lord has said, but certainly I think we must meet to discuss this matter to-morrow night.

THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (EARL JELLICOE)

My Lords, may I come in on this point for a moment? I share some of the noble Lord's anxieties here but I hope that, to a large extent, they have been allayed by what was said by my noble friend Lord Aberdare. I think it would be reasonable to see what progress we make in the next two days. Perhaps we can go reasonably fast; and I hope that on this Report stage we shall refrain from re-hashing all the arguments of the Committee stage; I do not believe that that is the function of a Report stage. That said, I would say, speaking on behalf of my own "usual channel" (and I am glad that my "own usual channel" is restored to full health) that I am certain that the suggestion that was put by the noble Lord, Lord Champion, is right: that we should see how we get on and then take stock of the position, say, towards the end of business to-morrow evening. I hope that we can make reasonably rapid progress by not re-hashing every single argument with which we are all fairly familiar by now.

On Question, Motion agreed to.