HL Deb 17 April 1975 vol 359 cc493-508

3.42 p.m.

Report of Amendments received.

Clause 1 [The valuation roll and revaluation]:

The MINISTER of STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (Lord Hughes)

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 1, which is purely a drafting amendment.

Amendment moved— Page 1, line 13, leave out ("section 2 and section 5") and insert (" and section 2").

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 3 [Provisions supplementary to sections 1 and 2]:

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 2: Page 5, line 18, leave out from ("on") to end of line 20 and insert ("the ground that there has been a material change of circumstances since the entry was made or that there is such an error in the entry as is referred to in section 2(1)(f) of this Act; and, not-withstanding the definition of "material change of circumstances" as set out in section 34(1) of this Act, if in an appeal under this subsection on the ground of a material change of circumstances it is proved that there has been a change of circumstances which has materially reduced the extent to which beneficial occupation of the lands and heritages can be enjoyed, the appeal shall not be refused by reason only that the change of circumstances has not been proved to have affected the value of the lands and heritages to any specific extent.")

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the effect of this Amendment will be to permit an appeal on grounds of "material change of circumstances" to be entertained in the absence of rental evidence, provided that the applicant can show that a disamenity or nuisance has significantly affected his enjoyment of the property. If rental evidence is produced, whether in support of the applicant or against him, it will, of course, fall to be considered with the other non-rental evidence. Criticism of the law as it stands has come from another place, from the courts and from the Scottish Valuation Advisory Council, two of whose members have assisted in drafting the Amendment which is now before the House. I beg to move.

Lord CAMPBELL of CROY

My Lords, we agree that this is an improvement and we have no objection to the Amendment.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 4 [Valuation appeal committees]:

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 3: Page 5. line 39, after ("the") insert ("maximum and minimum ").

The noble Lord said: My Lords. Amendments Nos. 4, 5, 6, 22 and 29 are consequential to this Amendment. These Amendments are designed generally to ensure that the Order-making powers in Clause 4(3)(b) are wide enough to allow the model scheme to make provision for any matter which, following consultation with interested bodies such as the Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals, the Secretary of State may wish to cover. I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move Amendments Nos. 4, 5, and 6 en bloc.

Amendments moved—

Page 5, leave out line 40 and insert ("and the termination of their appointment").

Page 6, line 4, leave out paragraph (c).

Page 6, line 12, at end insert—

("f) any other matter as appears to the Secretary of State to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of the administration of the model scheme in any valuation area.

(3A) The remuneration and allowances to be paid to the secretary and any assistant secretary of the panel and their conditions of employment shall be such as may be agreed between the valuation authority and the sheriff or, failing agreement, as may be determined by the Secretary of State.

(3B) All expenses incurred by a local valuation panel or a valuation appeal committee shall be defrayed by the valuation authority.") —(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendments agreed to.

Clause 10 [Collection of rates by housing body on behalf of rating authority]:

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 7:

Page 12, line 30, at end insert—

("(1A) Where a rating authority wish to make arrangements with a housing body under subsection (1) above but the housing body have not agreed to enter into the arrangements, the Secretary of State may by order, made after consultation with the rating authority and the housing body, provide that the rating authority and the housing body shall make such arrangements in accordance with that subsection.

(1B) A statutory instrument containing an order under subsection (1A) above shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.")

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the purpose of this Amendment is to ensure that, if necessary, a housing body—that is, a district authority, a New Town corporation or the Scottish Special Housing Association—can be required to collect rates as an agent of the rating authority. As it stands, the clause will allow rating authorities to make arrangements for the collection of rates along with rent on their behalf by housing bodies within their area who are willing to undertake the task. While there is little doubt that most housing bodies will be prepared to enter into such arrangements, it is not certain that all will be willing to do so. It would be going too far to make it mandatory in every case that the housing body should collect the rates. This could be inflexible and not necessarily the best way of proceeding in the local circumstances. But, where the rating authority has asked for such arrangements and has met with no response, it seems reasonable that the Secretary of State should be able to come in and, after consulting both parties, resolve the issue by a statutory Order.

The Secretary of State's Order would be subject, under subsection (1B), to annulment by either House. I emphasise that the Government agree with the view which the noble Lord, Lord Campbell of Croy, expressed at an earlier stage about the desirability of making it perfectly clear what was the amount of rent and rates and I expect that every housing body would so operate, particularly those which were cooperating in the scheme after being a little unwilling in the first instance. I beg to move.

Lord CAMPBELL of CROY

My Lords, I agree that it is for the convenience of ratepayers and tenants that there should if possible be one collection rather than two. I also agree that it is worth while making this provision for the possibility of a housing authority and a rating authority disagreeing. It means that, unless the Secretary of State can act as an intermediary, he will have to direct one of the authorities. Secondly, I should like to make the point that, if he has to do so, it is very important that what the noble Lord, Lord Hughes, has just said about showing rates and rents separately should be insisted upon. Otherwise, it will be impossible for a tenant to know how much he is paying in rates and he will simply think it is all rent.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 16 [Borrowing and lending by local authorities and certain of their funds]:

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 8: Page 15, line 12, after ("authorities") insert (" joint boards, water development boards and river purification boards ").

The noble Lord said: My Lords. Amendments Nos. 11, 12, 13, 14, 26 and 30 are consequential upon this Amendment. These Amendments to Clause 16, paragraphs 1 and 28 of Schedule 3 and Schedule 7 are all technical. Their purpose is to apply Schedule 3 to the peripheral bodies in the local government field —that is, the joint boards which have borrowing powers, water development boards and river purification boards and, secondly, to consolidate in this Schedule the sole surviving section of Part XII of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947; namely, Section 258, which sets out the purposes for which the money may be borrowed. I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

3.50 p.m.

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 9:

After Clause 31, insert the following new clause:

Allowances for Members of Children's panels and Children's Panel Advisory Committees.

" . In Schedule 3 to the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 (children's panels), for paragraph 8 there shall be substituted the following paragraph—

" 8.—(1) A local authority may pay—

  1. (a) to a member or possible member of the children's panel in respect of his attendance at a children's hearing or at training arranged under paragraph 6 or 7 of this Schedule;
  2. (b) to a member of the Children's Panel Advisory Committee, who is not also a member of a body to which sections 45 and 46 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 apply, in respect of his attendance at a meeting of the Committee;
  3. (c) to a member or possible member of the children's panel or to such a member of the Children's Panel Advisory Committee as aforesaid in respect of the doing by him of anything approved by the authority or anything of a class so approved, for the purpose of, or in connection with, the discharge of the functions of the panel or Committee, as the case may be;

(2) A local authority may pay to a member of the Children's Panel Advisory Committee who is also a member of a body to which sections 45 and 46 of the said Act of 1973 apply—

  1. (a) in respect of his attendance at a meeting of the Committee;
  2. (b) in respect of the doing by him of anything approved by the authority, or anything of a class so approved, for the purpose of, or in connection with, the discharge of the functions of the Committee;

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the Amendment continues the present arrangements so far as non-councillor members of Childrens' Panel Advisory Committees and members and possible members of childrens' panels are concerned. The main purpose of the Amendment is to enable local authorities to pay to councillor members of Childrens' Panel Advisory Committees the same attendance allowances as are payable under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 10.

After Clause 31, insert the following new clause:

Transference of social workers of Health Boards to local authority employment

.—(1) The Secretary of State may by order make provision for the transfer to the employment of local authorities of persons of descriptions specified in the order who are for the time being employed in social work by Health Boards; and the order may include provision—

  1. (a) for transfers in pursuance of the order to be made on such days as may be deter mined by or under the order; and
  2. (b) as to the manner of determining whether an individual is a person liable to be transferred by virtue of this subsection and which authority is the authority to whose employment such a person is to be transferred.

(2) A person transferred by virtue of sub section (1) above to (he employment of a local authority shall not be required in the course of that employment to perform duties otherwise than at or in connection with a hospital or other health service establishment unless he has consented to perform such duties.

(3)It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State by order to make provision for securing, in the case of a person transferred to the employment of a local authority by virtue of subsection (1) above—

  1. (a) that, while he is in the employment of that authority and has not been served with a notice in writing stating that it is served for the purposes of this subsection and specifying such new terms and conditions of employment as are mentioned in paragraph (b) below, the scale of his remuneration and, taken as a whole, the other terms and conditions of his employment by that authority are not less favourable to him than were immediately before the transfer those of the employment by the Health Board;
  2. (b) that any new terms and conditions determined by that authority for his employment by them are such that—
    1. (i) so long as he is engaged in duties reasonably comparable to the duties in which immediately before the transfer he was engaged in the employment by the Health Board, the scale of his remuneration and, taken as a whole, the other terms and conditions of his employment by that authority are not less favourable to him than were, immediately before the transfer, those of the employment by the Health Board, and
    2. (ii) so long as he is engaged in duties not so comparable, the terms and conditions of his employment by that authority (excluding terms as to remuneration) are, 499 taken as a whole, not less favourable than as mentioned in sub-paragraph (i) above;
    3. (c) that for the purposes of any enactment specified in the order the employments from which and to which he was transferred by virtue of subsection (1) above are treated as one continuous employment;
      • and an order made in pursuance of this subsection may contain provision for the determination of questions arising with respect to the effect in relation to any person of provision made by virtue of paragraphs (a) to (c) above.

(4) A statutory instrument containing any order under this section shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of either House of Parliament."

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the purpose of the clause is to provide for the transfer of the social workers from the employment of Health Boards to the employment of local authorities at such date as the Secretary of State may determine. It is, in fact, intended to effect the transfer on 16th May 1975. I beg to move.

Lord CAMPBELL of CROY

My Lords, this is an important new clause which appeared only yesterday, and it will affect employment and conditions of service. I can foresee that the way in which the clause is implemented could raise questions where employees felt either that the transfer was against their wishes or that the conditions were less favourable than they enjoyed as employees of a Health Board. I therefore ask the Minister whether he can tell us why this is being introduced at this very late stage; and, secondly, whether he can confirm that the Statutory Instrument which is provided for at the end of the clause is one which will permit those in another place to pray against the Secretary of State's Order in due course? I ask that because it could well be that this matter could cause concern to constituents of Members of another place, raising questions involving their employment if it seems that they are being moved arbitrarily from one employer to another.

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I can confirm that the orders will be subject to the Negative Resolution procedure and therefore, as the noble Lord asked, they can be prayed against. The need for this provision arises from the Government's decision that social work in hospitals and other Health Service establishments should come under the administra tive control of local authorities at the same time as local government reorganisation. Social work services in hospitals are at present provided by the Health Boards independently of the main social work provision by the local authority for the area. The general objective is to integrate hospital social work services with the larger local authority service as a means of ensuring the best development of social work for clients in health settings. In becoming part of the main local authority social work structure, hospital social work will benefit from the services, advice and supervision that are available in local authority social work departments and that have evolved and developed since the integration of local authority social work services under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. The change will also offer scope for better career patterns for the social workers concerned. The corresponding provision in England and Wales for a similar transfer at 1st April 1974 was contained in Sections 18(4) and (5) and 19(2) of the National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973.

Lord CAMPBELL of CROY

My Lords, before the noble Lord sits down, can he tell us why this provision, which he has just explained so admirably for us, has appeared only at this very late stage?

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I cannot do that satisfactorily in Parliamentary terms. I think that when the draftsmen got down to the final details it became obvious that the existing powers were not completely satisfactory.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Schedule 3 [Borrowing and lending by local authorities and certain of their funds]:

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I have spoken to Amendments Nos. 11, 12, 13 and 14, along with Amendment No. 8, and with permission I will move these Amendments en bloc.

Amendments moved—

Page 37, line 19, leave out paragraph 1 and insert— (" 1.—(1) Without prejudice to section 69 of the Act of 1973 (subsidiary powers of local authorities), a local authority may borrow such sums as may be required for any of the following purposes—

  1. (a) for acquiring any land which the authority have power to acquire;
  2. (b) for erecting any building which the authority have power to erect;
  3. (c) for the execution of any permanent work or the provision of any plant or the doing of any other thing which the authority have power to execute, provide or do and which involves expenses of a capital nature or for the payment of any sum of a capital nature;
  4. (d) for the purpose of lending to a relevant authority or to any community council established for the area of the local authority or any part thereof under Part IV of the Act of 1973;
  5. (e) for any other purpose for which the authority are authorised under any enactment to borrow.

(2) A local authority may borrow such sums as are required to meet expenses, other than expenses to which sub-paragraph (1) above relates, which the authority have power to incur in the exercise of any of their functions (excluding functions relating to a public utility undertaking) where by reason of their nature they are satisfied that the expenses should be met by borrowing and repayment spread over a term of years.

(3) A local authority may borrow such sums as are necessary in order to provide working capital or to meet any other expenses, not being expenses of a capital nature, required for the purposes of any public utility undertaking carried on by the authority.

Provided that—

  1. (a) the total sums borrowed under this sub-paragraph and for the time being out standing shall not, except with the consent of the Secretary of State, exceed an amount representing one half of the gross revenue of the undertaking for the immediately pre ceding financial year;
  2. (b) any sum borrowed under this sub paragraph to defray expenses shall be repaid as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case before the expiration of the period within which money borrowed to meet such expenses is ordinarily repaid in the case of such an undertaking, so however that any sum borrowed under this sub-paragraph shallbe repaid before the expiration of two years from the date of borrowing, unless the consent of the Secretary of State is obtained to repayment thereof being spread over a longer period, and such consent may be given subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State may determine.

(4) Sub-paragraphs (l)(a), (b) and (c) and (2) above shall apply to a water development board and to a river purification board as they apply to a local authority.

(5) In this paragraph "public utility undertaking" means a transport or other revenue-producing undertaking of a local authority.")

Page 45, line 36, at begining insert ("Subject to paragraph 1(4) above and sub-paragraph (2) below,".)

Page 45, line 37, at end insert (", a water [development board or a river purification I board.")

Page 45, line 38, at end insert—

(" (2) The Secretaray of State may by regulations make such provisions as seem to him necessary or expedient with respect to the application of the provisions of this Schedule to the aforesaid boards, either generally or to any particular board or class of board.

(3) A statutory instrument containing regulations under this paragraph shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.")—(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendments agreed to.

Schedule 5 [Matters not subject to investigation]:

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 15: Page 49, line 1, leave out from ("action") to ("concerning") in line 2.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 15, and No. 16 goes with it. Schedule 5, paragraph 5, describes a category of actions in the education sphere which are excluded from the Commissioner's jurisdiction. As it stands it covers these actions only when they are taken by an education authority. The effect of the Amendments is to make the paragraph cover the same range of actions when they are taken by any of the authorities specified in Part II of the Bill; that is, for the present purpose, local authorities, education committees, joint committees of education authorities or any person or body which discharges the functions of an education authority—for example, school or college councils. I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 16 which is consequential.

Amendment moved— Page 49, line 6, leave out ("the authority") and insert ("an education authority")—(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Schedule 6 [Minor and consequential amendments]:

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 17:

Page 49, line 15, at end insert— ("1A. Any reference in the Valuation Acts or in any enactment having effect by virtue of those Acts to "year", however expressed, shall be construed as respects the year 1975–76 as a reference to a period commencing on 16th May 1975 and ending on 31st March 1976 and as respects any later year as a period of twelve months ending with 31st March.")

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the purpose of this Amendment is to bring the definition of "year" in the Valuation Acts and in any subordinate legislation having effect under those Acts, into line with that of "financial year" in Section 96(5) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended by Clause 18 of the Bill. Perhaps I should indicate that it has been found necessary to have another Amendment on the same lines as this—a minor drafting Amendment— but there was not time to put it down at this stage, so I shall table it at Third Reading. I am sorry that this should be the position, and I do not expect to have any other Amendments at Third Reading, but I would not guarantee that.

Lord CAMPBELL of CROY

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for giving notice that another Amendment will be coming on Third Reading. While he is about it, could he again consider the question which the assessors are much concerned about—what they have described as the "as at" date?

A certain date would be stipulated in the timetable regulations which would help them. I think the noble Lord knows the point that I have in mind. If he is tabling Amendments at Third Reading, I hope he will consider this matter as well.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 18A:

Page 51, line 34, at end insert— 14A. In section 2 (provisions as to liability for domestic water rate), at the end of subsection (1A) there shall be added the words ' or which are occupied by a water authority for the purposes of a water undertaking or by a water development board '.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, in place of Amendment No. 18 I wish to move a manuscript Amendment and I should perhaps explain the circumstances relating to this matter. Amendments Nos. 18 and 18A were tabled, because it was discovered that a few words had accidently been missed from the Amendment. Unfortunately, when the matter was being considered the wrong Amendment was withdrawn. Amendment No. 18 should have been withdrawn and Amendment No. 18A should have been left. What happened was that Amendment No. 18A was withdrawn and Amendment No. 18 was left, so the manuscript Amendment will now be in these terms:

Page 51, line 34, at end insert— 14A. In section 2 (provisions as to liability for domestic water rate), at the end of subsection (1A) there shall be added the words ' or which are occupied by a water authority for the purposes of a water undertaking or by a water development board'.

The difference between Amendment No. 18 and what I have now read is the inclusion of the words "for the purposes of a water undertaking". The Amendment provides that regional councils, and islands councils, as water authorities (or the Central Scotland Water Development Board, which is a combination of water authorities) will not be required to pay the domestic water rate on premises that they themselves occupy for their functions under the Water (Scotland) Acts. This is a matter of simplifying the administration and financial arrangements in this field. If I may simplify the position, it simply means that we ought not to go to the expense of transferring money from the right-hand pocket to the left-hand pocket of the same pair of trousers.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 19: Page 51, leave out lines 39 to 46.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 19, and to associate with it Amendments Nos. 20, 27 and 28. These Amendments are purely drafting Amendments. I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES

I beg to move Amendment No. 20 formally.

Amendment moved—

Page 55. line 43, leave out paragraph 39 and insert— ("39. In section 12 (calculation of amount to be requisitioned by regional water boards), in subsection (2)(b) for the words between "'relevant financial year'" and "authority, and" there shall be substituted the words "means, in the case of a requisition in respect of the financial year 1975–76, that year, and, in the case of a requisition in respect of any subsequent financial year the financial year in respect of which the requisition is made or, if the water authority and the contributing authority agree, the financial year of the contributing authority immediately preceding the year in respect of which the requisition is made on the ".")—(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 21: Page 56, line 22, at end insert—

(" The Local Government (Footpaths and Open Spaces) (Scotland) Act 1970 (c. 28)

42A. In section 5 (interpretation), in the definition of ' local authority', for the words ' a town council or a county' there shall be substituted the words ', in sections 1 and 2, a regional or islands council, and in section 3, a regional, islands or district'.")

The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 21 and to associate with it Amendment No. 31. These Amendments correct an error in the definitions of "local authority" included in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 in relation to the Local Government (Footpaths and Open Spaces) Act 1970.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 22 to which I spoke when dealing with Amendment No. 3.

Amendment moved— Page 56, line 30, leave out from (" 49 ") to and of line 33 and insert (" (application of sections 45 to 47 to certain bodies)—

  1. (a) subsection (1)(b) shall cease to have effect;
  2. (b) after subsection (1) there shall be inserted the following subsection: —
(1A) Sections 45 to 47 of this Act shall apply to any local valuation panel or valuation appeal committee but as if the payments referred to in those sections were made by the valuation authority.".") —(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES moved Amendments Nos. 23 and 24:

Page 57, line 33, after ("sections") insert (", other than subsection (1) of the said section 45,")

Page 57, line 36, at beginning insert (" subsection (4) of)

The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move Amendments No. 23 and No. 24 en bloc. These Amendments make a slight alteration to a previous Amendment made at Committee stage to correct an unintended result. The Committee stage Amendment removed any doubt about the power of an education authority to pay the out-of-pocket expenses and travelling and subsistence expenses of members of school and college councils. The form in which it was put however might make it possible for an authority to pay an attendance allowance also. This, of course, was never intended. The purpose of these Amendments therefore is to make it clear that an education authority can pay allowances to members of school and college councils only in the nature of the financial loss allowance and the travelling and subsistence allowance but not the attendance allowance—unless, of course, such a member is also an elected member of the authority.

On Question, Amendments agreed to.

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 25:

Page 58, line 19, at end insert (" (a) for paragraph 1 there shall be substituted the following paragraph—

'1.—(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act or any order made thereunder, any reference in any enactment, order, scheme, regulations, award or byelaws passed or made before the coming into force of this Act—

  1. (a) in unspecified terms to a regional water board or the region of such a board (or any expression construed as such a reference by virtue of paragraph 2 of Schedule 2 to the Water (Scotland) Act 1967) or to a constituent board shall be construed respectively as a reference to a water authority or to the limits of supply of such an authority or to a constituent water authority;
  2. (b) to a particular regional water board or the region of such a board (or any expression construed as aforesaid) shall be construed respectively as a reference to the water authority responsible for the water undertaking to which the enactment relates or to the limits of supply of such an authority.

(2) If there is any doubt as to the identity of the water authority referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(b) above, that authority shall be taken to be such authority as may be specified in a direction given by the Secretary of State.'; (b)")

The noble Lord said: The purpose of this Amendment is to avoid the possibility of uncertainty in the operation of local statutory provisions relating to water supply after reorganisation of local government takes full effect on 16th May. It adds to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 a mechanism for identifying the particular water authority which will succeed a particular regional water board, for the purposes of a local statutory provision, if there is any doubt about which authority it should be. It is similar to the provision already contained in the 1973 Act, Section 215(4), for settling any doubt as to the identity of an authority to whom an agreement, consent, et cetera should be transferred. I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Schedule 7 [Repeals]:

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 26 to which I spoke when dealing with Amendment No. 8.

Amendment moved— Paee 59, leave out line 39 and insert (" Part XII ")—(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move Amendments Nos. 27 and 28 en bloc. I spoke to them when dealing with Amendment No. 9.

Amendments moved—

Page 59, line 44, at end insert—

(" 14 & 15 Geo. 6. c. 66. The Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) (Scotland) Act 1951. Section 7.")

Page 60, line 47, leave out ("Section 10") and insert (" Sections 10 and 17 ")—(Lord Hughes.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 29 to which I spoke when dealing with Amendment No. 3.

Amendment moved— Page 61, line 7, after ("49(1)") insert (" (b) j and ")—(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendments agreed to.

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 30 to which I spoke when dealing with Amendment No. 8.

Amendment moved— Page 61, line 13, after ("8") insert ("13 to 15,")—(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 31. I spoke to this when dealing with Amendment No. 21.

Amendment moved— Page 61, line 19, at end insert ("and the entry relating to the Local Government (Footpaths and Open Spaces) (Scotland) Act 1970") 15,"—(Lord Hughes.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Lord HUGHES moved Amendment No. 32: In the Title line 6, after ("authorities;") insert ("to make further provisions as respects social work;")

The noble Lord said: My Lords, this Amendment is required to extend the scope of the Bill to cover the two new clauses (Amendments Nos. 9 and 10 on the Marshalled List) dealing with social work matters; the one enabling local authorities to pay financial loss, travelling and subsistence allowances to members of children's panel advisory committees and members of children's panels; and the other empowering the Secretary of State to make an order transferring to local authority employment social work staff employed by Health Boards. I beg to move.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.