HL Deb 27 June 1978 vol 394 cc267-8

[No. 17.]

Clause 74, page 47, line 13, at end insert— '2(A) Where anything is for the time being authorised or required by this Act or any other statutory provision to be done to or by a particular statutory officer and—

  1. (a) that statutory officer is not available because of absence or other reason and no person may, by virtue of subsections (1) and (2), exercise his powers; or
  2. (b) his office is vacant,
then it may, unless the Lord Chancellor otherwise directs, be done during such unavailability or vacancy to or by any other statutory officer.'

Lord MELCHETT

My Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 17. This Amendment inserts a new subsection in Clause 74 and will take effect where a particular statutory officer—which means one of the officers described in the first column of Schedule 3 to the Bill—is unavailable, or if that particular statutory office is vacant. The new provision is very similar to the provision made by Clause 11 for the exercise of the powers of the Lord Chief Justice in his absence, or if that office is vacant. I beg to move.

Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Melchett.)