HL Deb 10 October 2000 vol 617 cc317-20

Introductory

10A.—(1) Paragraphs 10B and 10C must be complied with in relation to an application under section (Notification of changes in party's officers etc.)(3)(a).

(2) In paragraphs 10B and 10C "an application" means an application under section (Notification of changes in party's officers etc.)(3)(a).

Details of replacement etc. officers

10B.—(1) If as a result of an application one person will be registered as leader, nominating officer and treasurer, the application must request the addition of the name of the holder of some other specified office in the party.

(2) If an application requests—

  1. (a) the substitution of the name of a leader, nominating officer, treasurer or other officer, or
  2. (b) an addition in accordance with sub-paragraph (1),
the application must give the home address of the person whose name is to be substituted or added.

Signature

10C.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), an application must be signed by—

  1. (a) each person (other then the person to be registered in pursuance of the application) who is one of the responsible officers of the party; and
  2. (b) the person who is to be so registered.

(2) For the purposes of this paragraph "the responsible officers" has the same meaning as in paragraph 10.

(3) If any such person as is mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) is unable to sign an application—

  1. (a) the holder of some other office in the party may sign in his place, and
  2. (b) the application must include a statement of the reason why the person in question is unable to sign and a declaration that the holder of the other office is authorised to sign in his place.").

On Question, amendments agreed to.

Schedule 3, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 30 [Request by Secretary of State]:

Lord Bassam of Brighton moved Amendment No. 102: Page 18, line 15, after ("the") insert ("Great Britain or Northern Ireland").

On Question, amendment agreed to.

[Amendments Nos. 103 to 107 had been withdrawn from the Marshalled List.]

Clause 30, as amended, agreed to.

On Question, Whether Clause 31 shall stand part of the Bill?

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

This is part of a group of amendments which contains Amendments Nos. 110 and 110A, which are government amendments. I know that it is late at night and this is complex. However, that is not my fault. Perhaps the Government might like to say a few words before I ask them a difficult question, or perhaps I shall ask the difficult question first.

Lord Bach

An arrangement has been reached, which I hope is satisfactory to all noble Lords, that before the Question regarding Clause 31 is put, we should consider ending proceedings for the day.

Lord Bassam of Brighton

Perhaps the noble Lord would like to ask his question.

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

This is the first time that the Government have asked me to ask one of my questions. I was so amused that I lost my point.

I am puzzled by Amendment No. 110, which refers to: "Transfer of registration of existing registered party " I cannot find that in the Bill or in any of the amendments. I am totally and absolutely puzzled as to where we are being directed. The amendment refers us to a section or clause which, as far as I can see, does not appear in the Bill or in the amendments, nor does it appear afterwards. Perhaps I have missed something.

To be helpful to the Government, the other amendments in this group are drafting amendments. Deleting Clause 31 takes out the transitional arrangements. Can the Minister confirm that that means that all the political parties, including those already registered, will have to start again at the beginning as if they had never been registered? The transitional arrangements would have allowed a fairly seamless flow from one to the other. I may be wrong in that. I wondered whether that was the outcome of the deletion of the transitional arrangements and whether the reason for that is because we have introduced a second register in the Northern Ireland register. My main point, to which I hope the Minister has now managed to obtain some answers, concerns Amendment No. 110 and the words in italics.

Lord Bassam of Brighton

Amendment No. 110 will not be moved. It should have been withdrawn from the Marshalled List. But the bad news is that a whole group of amendments beginning with Amendment No. 110A—at least one amendment in that grouping is tabled in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish—are part of the transitional arrangements. I understood that we were not going to debate those amendments this evening. I am happy simply to push them through and I hope the noble Lord is less puzzled now than he was.

Clause 31 negatived.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I beg to move that the House do now resume.

Moved accordingly, and, on Question, Motion agreed to.

House resumed.

House adjourned at six minutes past midnight.