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Miss McIntosh: I am surprised that the hon. Member for Bath is not getting more exercised by this clause, given he is from a liberal background. I am now more alarmed than I would have been had the Minister not clarified the point. It would have been helpful for the Committee—and the British Transport police—to hear precisely what the exceptional circumstances might be. I am disappointed that the Minister failed to grasp my point that potentially it could pose problems for the chief constable and the staff associations to be overruled in that way.
The fact that the clause is included in the Bill tells the chief constable and the staff associations where they stand. It is a regrettable clause, and we shall monitor closely how it might be applied as the Bill progresses.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 39 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 40
Police regulations by Secretary of State
Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.
Miss McIntosh: My concerns about this clause are similar to my concerns about clause 39. Clause 40 enables the Secretary of State to make statutory regulations in relation to the British Transport police. We are told that the power would be used sparingly and only in certain circumstances, such as when the authority is unable to make the regulations itself. Again, it would be helpful to ask what those circumstances might be. Having considered clause 39, why do we need clause 40? I may be reading them incorrectly, but they seem remarkably similar.
It being twenty-five minutes past Eleven o'clock, The Chairman adjourned the Committee without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.
Adjourned till this day at half-past Two o'clock.
Column Number: 225
The following Members attended the Committee:
Hood, Mr. Jimmy (Chairman)
Bacon, Mr.
Cairns, David
Clapham, Mr.
Foster, Mr. Don
Hopkins, Mr.
Jamieson, Mr.
Lazarowicz, Mr.
Column Number: 226
McIntosh, Miss
Mahmood, Mr.
Murrison, Dr.
Perham, Linda
Ryan, Joan
Spellar, Mr.
Watts, Mr.
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