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First Schedule—(Constitution And Proceedings Of Assistant Nurses Committee)

Volume 388: debated on Wednesday 7 April 1943

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Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this be the First Schedule to the Bill."

On a point of Order. It has been proposed that the Clauses be added to the Bill. Is it not necessary that there should be a Motion that the Clauses stand part of the Bill?

The Clauses are added to the Bill, and that means that they stand part of the Bill.

On a point of Order. I wanted to move my Amendment, Major Milner—in page 11, line 30, after "with," to insert "trade unions representing nurses and "—I was waiting until you had called Mr. Burden.

I did not call the hon. Member. I was informed that the Amendment was consequential.

Section 4 of the Schedule arranges how the five representatives of assistant nurses are to be appointed after the expiration of the first term of office, which will probably be three years. The five are thereafter to be appointed, as to four by the assistant nurses themselves, and as to the remaining one by the Minister. I hope the Minister will be able to tell us that his intention, other things being equal, will be to exercise that power so as to add to the Committee someone who is not herself an assistant nurse. This very important committee consists of 11 members. As to the six appointed by the General Nursing Council, it is definitely provided that at least one shall not be a registered nurse. If in this whole body there is only one who is not a member of the profession she will lead a rather lonely life. Beyond that, for general purposes it will be of great value, so as to introduce the outside standpoint, if there is a nucleus of members of the Committee who have not spent their whole lives in the profession. I hope, therefore, that the Minister will use his prescribed power in such a way as to include in the Committee a second member who is keenly interested in the welfare of assistant nurses but is herself not a member of the profession.

I could not commit myself at this stage, but I will bear what my hon. Friend has said in mind when making up my mind who ought to represent the assistant nurses on this Committee.

Question, "That this be the First Schedule to the Bill," put, and agreed to.