Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am ar 25 Gorffennaf 1922.
With what has fallen from my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Ken-worthy) and the hon. Member for Silver-town (Mr. J. Jones), I am in sympathy, but their object is fully secured by the Bill. The Amendment goes far beyond that. By Section 16 of the principal Act, full rights of compensation are secured to all officers or servants of whatever grade, if, owing to a transfer of the whole or any part of the undertaking, they are prejudiced owing to the passing of this legislation. That is in conformity with the usual Parliamentary practice, that where you alter the condition of things to the detriment of a workman or other servant, you compensate him. When the Bill was introduced in another place, representations were made on behalf of the members of the Electrical Power Association, asking that the Government would extend the Measure in this way. They said that the transfer might not be under the Act, but it might be in consequence of the Act. Accordingly, Clause 18 was inserted in the Bill to meet their case. It says:
Section sixteen of the principal Act shall have effect as if for the words under this Act' there were substituted the words under or in consequence of this Act.'
Therefore, as it stands, everyone who is dispossessed through a change in policy which is effected by the principal Act, or by this Bill, gets compensation. The Amendment, however, goes very much further, and provides that if at any time in consequence of some transfer of an undertaking, not because of the new policy, but because the old owner has sold his station to a new owner, then everyone effected shall have a right to compensation. That is a principle which cannot be accepted. That is not something that is done by Parliament. If any body sells his business to a purchaser,
and the purchaser choses to change his staff, no right of compensation arises in the staff, nor could there possibly be any such Clause introduced or proposed. The compensation is based entirely on disturbance caused by this legislation. If the disturbance is caused directly or indirectly by this legislation, then the servant gets his compensation; if it is something quite outside this legislation, I think the hon. and gallant Gentleman will see that the Government cannot possibly accept the Amendment.