§ [No. 2]
§
Clause 2, page 2, line 25, leave out ("and") and insert—
("(bb) the promotion of industrial efficiency and international competitiveness; and").
§ Lord KIRKHILLMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 2. This Amendment would add to the purposes of the Agency specified in subsection (1) the promotion of industrial efficiency and international competitiveness. This purpose already appears in the Industry Bill and the Welsh Development Agency Bill. In my right honourable friend's view in the other place, when he gave consideration to the wording of the Bill, he felt it undesirable for the Agency apparently to have a narrower range of purposes than either the NEB or the Welsh Development Agency. Posterity may well wonder why this purpose had been omitted; whether, for instance, the SDA had been deliberately excluded from the field of improving efficiency and international competitiveness. It is for that reason that I commend the Amendment to your Lordships.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Kirkhill.)
Lord CAMPBELL of CROYMy Lords, I would say only that this is a very acceptable addition to the Bill. We had noticed that it appeared in the other two Bills, and it might have been thought odd that we in Scotland should not also have the sentence in question in the Bill.
§ Lord KIRKHILLMy Lords, we very much do not want to appear too odd.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.