§ [References are to Bill [84] as first printed for the Commons.]
§ 1 Schedule 1, page 10, line 9, leave out from 'or' to the end of line 10 and insert 'Articles 2(2) and 3(1) of the Industrial Assurance (Northern Ireland) Order 1979'.
§ 2 Schedule 1, page 10, line 28, leave out from 'or' to the end of line 29 and insert Articles 2(2) and 3(1) of the Industrial Assurance (Northern Ireland) Order 1979'.
§ 3 Schedule 1, page 11, leave out lines 37 to 42.
§ Lord LYELLMy Lords, I hope it may be for the convenience of your Lordships' 1080 House if I move Amendments Nos. 1 to 3 in this instance and if I speak to those amendments and also to Amendments Nos. 5 to 12. In other words, I should like to speak to all the amendments with the exception of Amendment No. 4. Since your Lordships considered this Bill, the Industrial Assurance (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 has been made and has come into operation. That measure, which I shall refer to as the 1979 order, is a pure piece of consolidation of earlier Northern Ireland industrial assurance legislation. The purpose of all these amendments is simply to delete all mention of the Industrial Assurance (Northern Ireland) Act 1924 and the Industrial Assurance and Friendly Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1948 and to insert the appropriate references to the 1979 order, which consolidated both of these spent orders.
These amendments, Nos. 1 to 3 and 5 to 12, are purely technical amendments to bring the present insurance Bill up to date. I am assured that none of them makes any material change, but I am sure your Lordships would agree that I should run through them briefly. Amendments Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 simply substitute reference to the 1979 order for references to the old Acts. Amendment No. 3 deletes the requirement in Part II of Schedule 1 to the Bill for the Industrial Assurance Commissioner for Northern Ireland to report on his proceedings under the Insurance Companies Act 1974. This provision has become unnecessary because the 1979 order itself contains the requirement. Amendments Nos. 8 and 9 are amendments to Schedule 3 to the Bill and this particular schedule deals with consequential amendments to primary legislation.
Amendment No. 8 deletes the reference to the repealed 1924 Act and the second amendment (No. 9) brings in the 1979 order and makes the necessary modifications. Amendments Nos. 10 and 11 are to Schedule 5 of the Bill, which is dealing with the consequential repeals of primary legislation. These two amendments delete the references to the repeal of the 1924 and 1948 Acts and in their place Amendment No. 12 brings in the 1979 order and provides for the necessary repeal of some of its provisions. I hope that that explanation will be of some assistance to your Lordships. I beg to 1081 move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendments Nos. 1 to 3 en bloc.
Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said amendments.—(Lord Lyell.)
§ Lord BLEASEMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Lyell, for his explanation of the Commons Amendments Nos. 1 to 3, and I readily accept the manner in which he proposes to deal with them. I take this opportunity to speak in general terms to the Commons amendments and say that I readily accept them, subject to one or two matters on which I may ask for explanations. Nevertheless, there are some aspects of the EEC requirements which I consider impose on the United Kingdom a compliance with impracticable uniformity. I am glad to see that the measures we are considering today are more in keeping with the ideals of a useful and helpful harmonisation. I believe that the proposals contained in the amendments should enable Northern Ireland interests to be dealt with effectively in the changed EEC circumstances.
One point which arises out of several of the amendments which are before us, beyond Amendments Nos. 1 and 3, with which we are now dealing, is this. In the changed administrative arrangements I assume that the Department of Trade will report annually to the United Kingdom Parliament. I should like to ask the noble Lord this: Will the Northern Ireland Commissioner or the Northern Ireland Department of Commerce be enabled to present with that annual report a regional section dealing with Northern Ireland affairs only? In other words, will all the relevant Northern Ireland provincial data and information be distinguishable from the total United Kingdom data and information? I think it important that we are enabled to see Northern Ireland's performance in respect of this and see it aside from the total report that may be presented to Parliament. With that point in mind, I would support the amendment as presented by the noble Lord.
§ Lord LYELLMy Lords, perhaps I may at this juncture thank the noble Lord for his general welcome for what I have said so far, and especially for his comments that this is mainly useful harmonization 1082 of existing United Kingdom law and indeed Northern Ireland provisions. I had hoped to be able to convey to the noble Lord some information on his question, but I am sure he will appreciate that, as we are running a little ahead of the schedule, I have not been able to obtain the information he is seeking. Certainly I will obtain it as soon as I can and in the simplest and most concise form, and I hope he will have it very shortly.