§ 4.52 p.m.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, DEPARTMENT of INDUSTRY (Lord Beswick)My Lords, I beg to move that the Commons Amendments and Amendments to the Commons Amendments and Motion to he moved on consideration of the Commons Amendments be now considered. In moving this Motion, with the leave of the House, I suggest we take certain Amendments in groups. Each group will be concerned with one issue. 1622 This Bill was extensively amended during its passage through your Lordships' House, and, uniquely of all Bills and in contradistinction to the Bill we have just been dealing with, these Amendments have been accepted by the Government, resulting in a better Bill. The process of refining and revision was continued to some extent in another place primarily with the intention of improving the operation of the measure in practice. I hope that I may be allowed to say—I was not here to say it on Third Reading—that Members of both Houses can be satisfied and proud of the improvements which have been made to this legislation. I also think that it is important to recognise the contribution of the insurance industry—that is, of the insurance companies, trade unions and, latterly. the brokers—whom we have consulted on all the relevant policy changes. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Commons Amendments and Amendments to the Commons Amendments and Motion to be moved on consideration of the Commons Amendments.—(Lord Beswick.)
§ COMMONS AMENDMENTS AND AMENDMENTS TO THE COMMONS AMENDMENTS AND MOTION TO BE MOVED ON CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMONS AMENDMENTS
§ [References are to Bill [187] as first printed for the Commons]
§ [No. 1.]
§ Clause 1, page 2, line 12, leave out from ("impose") to ("in ") in line 14 and insert ("levies, in accordance with section (Levies on intermediaries) below, section (The exempt income level for the purpose of section (Levies on intermediaries)) of this Act and section 18 below and Schedules (Additional provisions with respect to levies on intermediaries) and 3 to this Act, on insurance companies and other persons engaged in the insurance industry".)
§ Lord BESWICKMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 1. suggest that we take Amendments Nos. 19, 34, and 37—although the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare, has an Amendment to Amendment No. 37—and Amendments Nos. 38, 41 and 46 together. The two new clauses in Amendments Nos. 37 and 38 and the new Schedule in Amendment No. 46 all relate to the levy on intermediaries. Amendments Nos. 1 and 19 are paving Amendments, and Nos. 34 and 41 are consequential. Your 1623 Lordships will recall that provision for this levy did not form part of the Government's original proposals but was inserted in the Bill as a matter of fact against the Government's advice on Third Reading. We continued to have reservations about the practicality of the new provision, but as it clearly had wide support in Parliament we accepted the principle of the new levy. However, the provisions had not of course been drafted by the Parliamentary draftsman and there were certain unsatisfactory characteristics in the original form. We therefore resolved, so far as we could, these practical and drafting difficulties, in consultation with the life offices and the broking organisations. The resulting new clauses in Amendments Nos. 37 and 38 and the new Schedule in Amendment No. 46 reproduce the same principle that your Lordships introduced into the Bill at Third Reading. I hope that also has the effect of making them more practicable. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Beswick.)
§ Lord ABERDAREMy Lords, perhaps I should reserve my remarks on this Amendment to my two later Amendments to Amendment No. 37. Amendment No. 46 is not yet on the printed list to which the noble Lord referred, so we are in some difficulty in considering that at the same time as the other Amendments. Other than that, I have no objection to this Amendment.