§ [References are to Bill (70) as first printed for the Commons]
§ 1 Schedule 2, page 32, line 10, leave out ("1st January 1957") and insert ("16th July 1956")
§ 2 Schedule 2, page 32, line 16, leave out ("1st January 1957") and insert ("16th July 1956")
§ 3 Schedule 2, page 34, line 17, leave out ("14(1 )(a)") and insert ("10(4)(a)").
§ The Lord ChancellorMy Lords, on Amendment No. 1, perhaps I can say, in moving that the House do now agree with the Commons in their said amendment, that as all the amendments are Government amendments, it is not surprising that I shall move the same Motion in regard to all of them. There are four amendments, of which three relate to Schedule 2, and if the House agrees, I will move the first three and then the last.
If the House will look at Schedule 2, the three amendments with regard to that schedule all correct errors to which I have to admit that an annotator to Messrs. Butterworths first drew our attention. The first two amendments correct a wrong date. Paragraph 9 of Schedule 2, to which the amendments relate, reproduces Section 25(4) of the Administration of Justice Act 1956. That section refers to the date on which that subsection came into force. But, by virtue of the Administration of Justice Act (Commencement) Order 1956, Section 25 came into force on 16th July 1956 and not on 1st January 1957.
The third of the Schedule 2 amendments corrects another drafting error because it refers to Section 14(1)(a) of the Administration of Justice Act 1973. There is no Section 14(1)(a) in the Administration of Justice Act 1973. The derivation table correctly shows 837 that the right subsection is Section 10(4)(a) of the Administration of Justice Act 1973. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said amendments.—[The Lord Chancellor.]
§ Lord Elwyn-JonesMy Lords, the House will be grateful to the noble and learned Lord for explaining these lucid amendments to us all, and to the annotator of Butterworths. We are happy to take help from any source in respect of these technical measures that come before the House.
§ Lord RentonMy Lords, I was merely going to say before the noble and learned Lord, Lord Elwyn-Jones, rose to his feet, how much both Houses of Parliament owe to those assiduous people who annotate our statutes for us.
§ Lord FootMy Lords, while that may be all very well, is it not a little humiliating to this House that, whereas we have used as one of the excuses for our existence the fact that we are a revising Chamber, that lot has now fallen upon the other place?
§ The Lord ChancellorMy Lords, the other place must serve some useful purpose after all!
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.