§ 3.6 p.m.
§ The LORD CHANCELLOR (Lord Elwyn-Jones)My Lords, I beg to move that the House do now resolve itself into Committee on this Bill.
§ Moved, that the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Lord Chancellor.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ House in Committee accordingly.
§ [The LORD ABERDARE in the Chair.]
§ Clauses 1 to 159 agreed to.
§ Clause 160 [Citation, commencement and extent]:
§
The LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 1:
Page 127, line 38, before ("Act") insert ("(Consolidation)").
§ The noble and learned Lord said: With the leave of the Committee, I will speak at the same time to this Amendment and to Amendments Nos. 2 to 48. They are all drafting Amendment; relating to the Title of the Bill. The first Amendment changes the Title of the Bill from Employment Protection Bill to Employment Protection (Consolidation) Bill, and the remaining Amendments make the consequential changes in Schedule 16. I beg to move.
§ Lord TREFGARNEIt falls to me, it seems, to ask the noble and learned Lord whether it is in order for Amendments to be taken on this scale in what is, in fact, a consolidation Bill. Of course we are aware that consolidation Bills are not normally amended at all, but today we find that a large number of Amendments are to be moved on behalf of the Government. Can the noble and learned Lord 183 explain why this should be, and whether it is a departure from the usual procedure?
§ The LORD CHANCELLORI do not think that it is a departure for mere drafting Amendments to be moved to consolidation Bills. There was only one change involved here; namely, the change in the Title from Employment Protection Bill to Employment Protection (Consolidation) Bill, and an illusion of magnitude has been added to that simple change by the multiplicity of occasions on which reference is made to the Bill in the Schedule. I hope that the Committee will not be unduly shocked by this state of affairs.
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 160, as amended, agreed to.
§ Schedules 1 to 15 agreed to.
§ Schedule 16 [Consequential amendments]:
§ The LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendments Nos. 2 to 48 en bloc:
§ Page 174, line 37, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 174, line 41, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 175, line 20, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 175, line 34, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 175, line 40, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 176, line 16, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 176, line 22, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 176, line 26, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 176, line 29, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 176, line 32, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 176, line 35, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 176, line 40, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 176, line 44, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 177, line 6, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 177, line 22, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 177, line 29, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 178, line 3, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 178, line 10, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 178, line 28, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 178, line 32, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 178, line 41, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
184§ Page 179, line 5, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 179, line 14, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 179, line 22, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 179, line 30, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 179, line 34, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 179, line 38, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 179, line 46, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 180, line 13, before ("Act") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 180, line 16, after ("Protection") insert ("Consolidation)")
§ Page 180, line 21, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 180, line 24, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 180, line 34, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 180, line 38, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 180, line 49, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 3, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 10, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 15, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 18, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 24, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 29, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 33, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 36, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 181, line 41, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 182, line 4, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)")
§ Page 182, line 8, leave out from ("for") to end of line 9 and insert (""Act 1975" there shall be substituted (""(Consolidation) Act 1977"")
§ Page 182, line 12, after ("Protection") insert ("(Consolidation)").
§ On Question, Amendments agreed to.
§ Schedule 16, as amended, agreed to.
§ Schedule 17 [Repeals]:
§
The LORD CHANCELLOR moved Amendment No. 49:
Page 185, line 34, column 3, leave out ("27(10)").
§ The noble and learned Lord said: This, again, is a drafting Amendment. I beg to move.
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Schedule 17, as amended, agreed to.
185§ The LORD CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES (Lord Aberdare)The Question is, That this be the Title of the Bill?
§ Lord LEATHERLANDShould we not insert the word "Consolidation" in the Title, inasmuch as we have had 40 or 50 Amendments inserting it in other parts of the Bill?
§ The LORD CHANCELLORI think that is accomplished by the first Amendment that I moved. Perhaps I moved it at excessive speed.
§ Title, as amended, agreed to.
§ House resumed: Bill reported with the Amendments.
§ Then, Standing Order No. 43 having been suspended (pursuant to Resolution of 13th July), Report received, Bill read 3a, and passed, and sent to the Commons.