HL Deb 11 December 1973 vol 347 cc1062-5

4.0 p.m.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR

My Lords, I beg to move that the House do now resolve itself into Committee on Recommitment on this Bill.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee on Recommitment.—(The Lord Chancellor.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly.

[The BARONESS WOOTTON OF ABINGER in the Chair.]

Clauses 1 to 3 agreed to.

Clause 4 [Knacker's yard licences and applications for such licences]:

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 1: Page 4, line 24, after ("requirements") insert ("relating to knacker's yards").

The noble and learned Lord said: May I just say this in general, before coming down to the particular. All these Amendments are drafting and technical Amendments, and, so far as I know, raise no question of importance for the Committee at all. This Amendment is a drafting one to bring subsection (2) of the clause into line with subsection (3), and thereby improve the consistency of the Bill. I beg to move.

LORD STOW HILL

I do not know whether it would be of some slight assistance to the Committee if I rose on this Amendment to make the following observation. The noble and learned Lord has said that all the Amendments are drafting. I have had an opportunity of going through them and examining them. When I went through them I received exactly the same impression. I simply rise to make this comment to assist (a) the noble and learned Lord and (b) other Members of your Lordships' Committee who may have given consideration to this matter.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 4, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 5 to 7 agreed to.

Clause 8 [Effect of court's decision]:

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 2: Page 6, line 19, after ("licence") insert ("under section 3 above")

The noble and learned Lord said: May I thank the noble Lord, Lord Stow Hill, for what he has just said? This Amendment corrects a drafting slip. The words "any other decision of a local authority" do not at the moment include as clearly as they ought to a refusal of a slaughterhouse licence otherwise than under Clause 3. That is under Clause 2.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 8, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 9 to 14 agreed to.

Clause 15 [Power to provide public slaughterhouses]:

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 3: Page 8, line 35, after ("in") insert ("this Part of")

The noble and learned Lord said: This is another Amendment to improve the consistency of the Bill, as Parts I and II are completely self-contained. All other references in Part I are to "this part of this Act".

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 15, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 16 [Management of public slaughterhouses]:

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 4: Page 9, line 12, leave out ("of this Act") and insert ("below")

The noble and learned Lord said: With this Amendment goes the Amendment to Clause 33. This is simply a question of introducing consistency into the language of the Bill.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 16, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 17 to 32 agreed to.

Clause 33 [Application to Crown]:

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 5: Page 16, line 6, leave out ("of this section") and insert ("above")

The noble and learned Lord said: I have already explained this point.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 33, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 34 and 35 agreed to.

Clause 36 [Methods of slaughter in slaughterhouses, and knackers' yards]:

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 6: Page 18, line 13, leave out ("in the") in the second place where it occurs and insert ("to any")

The noble and learned Lord said: This Amendment and Amendment No. 7 are designed to correct accidental departures from the relevant section of the Slaughter of Animals Act 1958.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 7: Page 18, line 18, after ("suffering") insert ("of an animal").

The noble and learned Lord said: I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 36, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 37 to 41 agreed to.

Clause 42 [Powers of entry]:

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 8: Page 23, line 1, leave out ("(2)") and insert ("(3)").

The noble and learned Lord said: This puts right a reference to the wrong subsection.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 42, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 43 to 48 agreed to.

Schedule 1 [The Rabbinical Commission for the Licensing of Shochetim]:

THE LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 9: Page 25, line 9, leave out ("the British Empire") and insert ("Great Britain and the Commonwealth").

The noble and learned Lord said: This is slightly more fun! It was a point raised by Mr. William Wilson in the Joint Committee. He wanted to know whether the reference to the British Empire and the Chief Rabbi's name was still correct. It was then discovered, on looking into the matter, that he is now known as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation of Great Britain and the Commonwealth.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Schedule 1, as amended, agreed to.

Remaining Schedules agreed to.

House resumed: Bill reported to the House, with Amendments.