Orders of the Day — Clause 1. — (Restriction on Publication of Contents of Wills and Amounts of Estates.)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 8 May 1959.

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Photo of Sir Eric Fletcher Sir Eric Fletcher , Islington East 12:00, 8 May 1959

I beg to second the Amendment.

That was my chief object in rising, Mr. Deputy-Speaker. I would not wish it to be thought that it was my only object, but it was certainly my primary object.

I am glad to have the opportunity of seconding the Amendment so ably moved by the hon. and gallant Member for Cheltenham (Major Hicks Beach). It raises a point of considerable importance and principle in connection with the Bill. I have not previously had an opportunity of saying that I am wholeheartedly opposed to the Bill. It is a mischievous Bill and is thoroughly ill conceived. It is contrary to the public interest and to the interests of freedom and information in which I believe. I therefore gladly seize the opportunity of seconding any Amendment which, like so many others which I have not had the opportunity of either seconding or supporting, seeks to mitigate the mischief of the Bill.

If we look at Clause 1 as amended in Committee, we are faced with a proposition which I find abhorrent, namely, that there would be an absolute restriction on the publication of the contents of wills and the amounts of estates. I object to that. If we turn to page 2, we find a series of provisos couched in a form calculated to reduce the mischief of the operative parts of Clause 1.

3.45 p.m.

The Amendment seeks to carry a stage further the mitigation of the objectionable features of the Bill. As I understand it, the Bill would impose a period of 25 years before publication of the details of a will was permitted. The hon. and gallant Member for Cheltenham said that 25 years was far too long and that the period should be 20 years. I gather that my hon. Friends the Members for Deptford (Sir L. Plummer), Lewisham, North (Mr. MacDermot) and St. Pancras, North (Mr. K. Robinson) would go even further. They think that it should be not 25 or 20 years but 10 years. In my opinion, ten years is far too long. It ought to be 10 months or even ten weeks or ten days.

Whatever the period, I support the Amendment because the shorter the period, the better. I am against any delay in this respect.