§ 70 Page 24, line 42, leave out "two' and insert "twelve"
§ The Commons disagreed to this Amendment for the following Reason:
§ 71 Because it creates an unacceptably long delay before Part III of the Bill can come into effect.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth not insist on their Amendment No. 70, to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 71. The Amendment brings Part III of the Bill into effect 12 months after Royal Assent. The Bill as it left the Commons provided that Part III should come into effect two months after Royal Assent. This was considered to be the minimum period necessary to carry out the required consultation on and to make the regulation, under Clause 16. Longer delay than this would place developers in an intolerable position because no authorisations could be given until late 1977.
§ Moved, That the House doth not insist on the said Amendment, to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 71.—(Lord Wells-Pestell.)
1723§ Baroness YOUNGMy Lords, under this Amendment, Part III of the Bill is, as I think the noble Lord, Lord Wells-Pestell, will agree, in a rather different situation from the rest of the Bill. It is not a matter which was contained in the Labour Party's Manifesto, nor was it in the Queen's Speech of last year. It was added to the Bill at a later stage. In those circumstances I should have thought that before it was brought in it was not unreasonable to have a longer period than simply two months. This is not a matter upon which we are going to insist, but it is a part of the Bill which it is very difficult to maintain is not a new issue.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, can I exact a promise from the noble Baroness that her Party will never introduce anything unless it is either in a Manifesto or in the Queen's Speech?
§ Baroness YOUNGMy Lords, I do not know that I can speak on behalf of my entire Party but I hope that we shall never reduce ourselves to Government by Manifesto.