HL Deb 25 October 1990 vol 522 cc1618-9

137 Clause 30, page 40, leave out line 15 and insert: '(a) for subsection (1) there shall be substituted— (1) The offices and functions of—

  1. (a) the clerk to the admission of notaries public; and
  2. (b) the keeper of the register of notaries public,
are hereby transferred to the Council."; (ab) in subsection (2), for the words from "grant" to the end there shall be substituted "direct the Council to register him in the register of notaries public.";'.

138 Page 40, line 22, leave out from 'and' to end of line 24 and insert 'direct the Council to register him in the register of notaries public.";'.

139 Page 40, line 28, leave out from 'and' to end of line 30 and insert 'direct the Council to register him in the register of notaries public.'.

140 Page 40, leave out lines 33 and 34 and insert: '(d) for subsection (5) there shall be substituted— (5) The Council may charge such reasonable fees as they consider appropriate in respect of the admission of any person as a notary public.".'.

141 Page 40, line 35, leave out 'At the end of' and insert 'In'.

142 Page 40, line 36, after 'public)' insert:

  1. '(a) in subsection (1), for the words from "give" to the end there shall be substituted "strike off or, as the case may be, remove his name from the register of notaries public";
  2. (b) in subsection (2), for the words from "it" to "thereupon" there shall he substituted "the Council shall forthwith";
  3. (c) at the end of that section'.

143 Page 40, line 40, leave out from 'forthwith' to end of line 42 and insert 'remove the person's name from the register of notaries public.'.

144 Page 40, line 45, leave out from 'shall' to 'restore' in line 46.

Lord Fraser of Carmyllie

My Lords, I beg to move that the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendments Nos. 137 to 144 en bloc. I shall speak also to Amendment No. 265. I hope that these amendments, at any rate, are uncontroversial. They provide for the duties of the Clerk to the Admission and the Keeper of the Register of Notaries Public to be transferred to the council of the Law Society of Scotland. Since the council is responsible for the initial enrolment of solicitors, and given that any person qualified as a solicitor is also qualified to register as a notary, it is only sensible that the same body should be responsible both for enrolment as a solicitor and registration as a notary public. That is what these amendments achieve.

I emphasise that the current clerk, the keeper of the register and the Law Society are satisfied with the arrangement proposed. Amendments Nos. 137 and 265 are consequential on other provisions of Clause 30 to permit joint applications to be made for admission as a solicitor and notary public.

Moved, That the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendments Nos. 137 to 144.—(Lord Fraser of Carmyllie.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.