§ 7.6 p.m.
§ Report received.
§
Lord Reay moved Amendment No. 1:
Page 5, line 18, after second ("if") insert ("(a)").
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, noble Lords will recall that this clause was amended in Committee to clarify the Bill's intentions by specifically excluding cereals from the definition of grass. We welcome this clarification but consider that the nature of the language of the amendment is unsatisfactory from the point of view of English. I believe, however, that this minor technical defect is easily remedied by the two small amendments which I am putting forward now and which I hope your Lordships find acceptable. I beg to move.
§ Lord KimballMy Lords, as my noble friend said, this is a simple matter. At Committee stage we were pleased to accept the small amendment so wisely moved by my noble friend Lord Radnor. Its purpose was to make it clear that, at least for the provisions of the Bill, the term "grass" does not include a cereal crop. Unfortunately, however, the words chosen to frame that amendment did not meet with the approval of the parliamentary draftsmen. As a result we now have before us these two amendments to the amendment, as it were, putting what we have already agreed into a different form of words. In fact, all we have done is to put a little more polish on the amendment. I hope that noble Lords will accept it.
§ Lord ReayI am grateful to my noble friend for his acceptance of these amendments in order to make the provision read better.
§ On Question, amendment agreed to.
§
Lord Reay moved Amendment No. 2:
Page 5, line 20, leave out from ('case") to ("a") in line 21 and insert ("and
(b) it is not").
§ On Question, amendment agreed to.