§ 7.12 p.m.
§ Report received.
§ Clause 1 [Amendment to European Assembly Elections Act 1978]:
§ Lord Bonham-Carter moved Amendment No. 1:
§ Page 1, line 5, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("Parliamentary").
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, I move Amendment No. 1, but what I shall say also applies to Amendments Nos. 2 to 32. These are entirely technical amendments which were drawn to your Lordships' attention by the noble Lord, Lord Cockfield, and the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, at Second Reading. I undertook to make the necessary alterations which they suggested should be made.
§ I should like to mention in passing that it would have been of considerable assistance if the European Assembly Elections Act 1978 had been updated to take account of the 1986 Act, which changed the term "assembly" into "parliament".
§ Perhaps the Minister will look into this matter so that members of the public who try to obtain a copy of the relevant Act from Her Majesty's Stationery Office are not misled by the use of an out of date term. I beg to move.
§ Lord UnderhillMy Lords, I support Amendment No. 1 in the light of the amendment which I moved at Committee stage. If that amendment had been approved, this amendment would have been essential. I withdrew the amendment at Committee stage. Some noble Lords have questioned why, in the light of the comments that I made at Committee stage, I have not submitted any amendments of my own at Report stage. The reason for that situation is that, having submitted my amendment at Committee stage, there was nothing left which I could propose because that would have required amending Clauses 2 and 3. As I made quite clear, I oppose a Private Member's Bill which lays down a 1532 system of election, and there would be no point in my submitting an amendment.
§ Viscount UllswaterMy Lords, I accept that these amendments are necessary to make the Bill technically correct. Therefore I agree the amendments. I shall also undertake to pass the comments that were made by the noble Lord, Lord Bonham-Carter, about the Act to the right quarters and hope that that matter can be put right.
§ On Question, amendment agreed to.
§ Lord Bonham-Carter moved Amendment No. 2:
§ Page 1, line 8, leave out ("Assembly election") and insert ("Elections to the European Parliament").
§ On Question, amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 2 [The electoral system.]
§ Lord Bonham-Carter moved Amendments Nos. 3 to 12:
§ Page 1, line 13, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 1, line 14, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliament").
§ Page 1, line 15, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 1, line 17, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 1, line 20, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 1, line 22, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 1, line 24, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 2, line 1, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 2, line 3, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 2, line 12, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ On Question, amendments agreed to.
§ Clause 3 [Assembly constituencies in England.]
§ Lord Bonham-Carter moved Amendments Nos. 13 to 32:
§ Page 2, line 19, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 2, line 24, leave out ("2(1) of the 1949 Act") and insert ("3(1) of the 1986 Act").
§ Page 2, line 26, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 2, line 31, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 2, line 34, leave out ("2(3) of the 1949 Act") and insert ("3(3) of the 1986 Act").
§ Page 2, line 35, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 2, line 39, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 2, line 43, leave out ("paragraph 4 of Part III of Schedule 1 to that Act (local inquiries) and section 4 of the 1958 Act (procedure)") and insert ("section 6 of the 1986 Act (local inquiries)").
§ Page 3, line 4, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 3, line 14, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
1533§ Page 3, line 16, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 3 line 19, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 3 line 20, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 3, leave out lines 28 to 31 and insert (" "the 1986 Act" means the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986;").
§ Page 3, line 41, leave out ("an Assembly") and insert ("a European Parliamentary").
§ Page 3. line 43, leave out ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ Page 4, line 8, leave out ("2(4) of the 1949 Act") and insert ("5(1) of the 1986").
§ Page 4, line 12, leave out ("an Assembly") and insert ("a Europear Parliamentary").
§ Page 4, line 13, leave out ("an Assembly") and insert ("a Europear Parliamentary").
§ Page 4, line 14, leave out second ("Assembly") and insert ("European Parliamentary").
§ On Question, amendments agreed to.
§ Lord ReayMy Lords, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn during pleasure until 8.10 p.m.
Moved accordingly, and, on Question, Motion agreed to.
§ [The Sitting was suspended from 7.15 to 8.10 p.m.]