Mr James Reid: This is plainly an improvement, but there is one point on which it may not go quite far enough. Obviously, there will be some small change, at least in the condition of the holding, in most cases, between the date of the making of the record and the date of the change of tenancy. As I understand it, the purpose of this Amendment is to enable a record made in the last tenancy to carry on in...
Mr James Reid: I am sure the House would be assisted if the right hon. and learned Gentleman would tell us precisely what is the procedure which he anticipates under the Amendment. I assume that the first stage, after the matter has been brought to the notice of the agricultural committee, must be a visit of inspection, and I assume that if the inspector is not satisfied there will be a discussion with the...
Mr James Reid: Of course, everyone in every part of the House would welcome the abolition of these traps if they were assured that there is some practicable alternative method of keeping down this extremely destructive pest. Have the Government accepted the Amendment without having in mind any alternative which is adequate to keep down rabbit stocks? If so, I wonder what are going to be the consequences. If...
Mr James Reid: I certainly did not express any opposition. I asked whether, before putting this Amendment down, the Government had had regard to the practical consequences, and I asked what those consequences would be. If the Lord Advocate can tell me that they have done that and that the practical consequences will be desirable, of course there is no opposition.
Mr James Reid: I used the English position merely to point out that the Scottish Department must have had its attention directed to this matter at that time, and I did not in the least argue, and I do not argue now, that we ought to follow England. All I say is that the discussion on the subject in England must have set inquiries afoot with the Scottish Department, and if a practical method was found to...
Mr James Reid: The hon. Gentleman may think it serves no useful purpose, but is it doing any harm? How is it embarrassing him? When we have a statute which lays down a restriction, that restriction ought to be observed. Why does the Under-Secretary of State want to be absolved from following the directions of other statutes? This Clause deals with any land which he happens to acquire under this Bill. Then,...
Mr James Reid: I beg to move, in page 64, line 47, at the end, to insert: Providing also where any person is required to incur expenditure on land which has only become agricultural land by virtue of designation under this Subsection that person may appeal to the Land Court within twenty-eight days on the ground that such expenditure will not yield an economic return and if the Land Court sustain the appeal...
Mr James Reid: I understand the Lord Advocate has given an undertaking that the Secretary of State will act reasonably in this matter, in the sense that he will not direct uneconomic expenditure. If that is an undertaking, I am prepared to withdraw the Amendment.
Mr James Reid: On the footing that there is an undertaking, taking the long-term view, that there will be no direction for any uneconomic expenditure, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.
Mr James Reid: Those Members who have so far addressed the House in this very short but interesting and useful Debate, have represented rural constituencies, and I think it appropriate that at least one city Member should hay a few words before this Bill passes to another place. Whatever may have been the position in the past, I am sure that all on this side who represent urban constituencies and, I hope,...
Mr James Reid: I beg to move, in page 152, line 10, to leave out from the first "register," to the end of line 11. I move this Amendment in order to obtain an explanation. The Committee will see at line 9: the expression 'electoral number' means a person's number in the said register or, pending the publication of the register, his number (if any) in the electors' list therefor. I find some difficulty in...
Mr James Reid: I confess that it had not occurred to me that that was the reason, and I hope we shall not be faced with an election in which there has not been publication of the register until after the day of nomination. The task of anyone fighting that election would be quite intolerable in those circumstances, and I hope that whatever may be put into the Bill for the sake of dealing with possible...
Mr James Reid: Can the hon. Lady say by what proportion the allocation to shops which do not have registered customers is likely to be reduced?
Mr James Reid: Why does the hon. Lady maintain the law which she so consistently disregards? Why not bring in a new order, and drop this provision?
Mr James Reid: This does not appear to me to be in any way a political question. It may well be that all my hon. Friends will not agree entirely with what I am about to say, and it may equally be that all hon. Members on the other side do not exactly like the present form of the Bill. I agree with the view expressed by my hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries (Mr. N. Macpherson). It is a great pity to...
Mr James Reid: I would like to inquire about one point which, though comparatively small, might give rise to a good deal of difficulty. It concerns the inter-relations of Subsections (5) and (6). Subsection (5), quite properly I think, requires that every printed document distributed shall bear the name and address of the printer and publisher. Sub- section (6) goes on to say that "printing" includes any...
Mr James Reid: I would like the Secretary of State to give us some indication of what he contemplates under Subsection (2) of this Clause. This Subsection gives the Secretary of State very wide powers to make additions to or modifications in Acts of Parliament which may be necessary in view of the provisions of the Clause. I appreciate that, as there are four cities and one burgh which have private Acts of...
Mr James Reid: The same point arises here, in rather a different shape, under Subsection (1), which says: A registration officer shall comply with any general or special directions which may be given by the Secretary of State with respect to the arrangements to be made by the registration officer for carrying out his registration duties. I am not sure what is in mind in that Subsection. I do not even know...
Mr James Reid: Will the Secretary of State say if it has ever been found necessary to use a special direction in either Parliamentary or local government elections? It may be valuable to know what has happened in the past.
Mr James Reid: May I reinforce what the hon. Member for St. Rollox (Mr. Leonard) has just said. If we were dealing purely with local authority elections, there is no doubt that there would be only one register. No one would dream of having two registers for that purpose. That being so, and looking at the relative benefit which the locality and this House get from these registers, it would seem that, whereas...
