I beg to move, in page 30, line 16, to leave out from "theatre" to "and" in line 17 and to insert
"including a cinematograph theatre, and any building used as a public hall, public concert-room or lecture room, public dance room or public gymnasium or indoor swimming baths."
In view of what my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary said clarifying his previous statement, that there will be further consideration of this matter and that action will be taken, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Motion.
No.
Permission is not granted.
Question put, That the Clause be Dead a Second time.
The Committee divided: Ayes 22, Noes 66.
This Amendment arises out of a promise that I gave during the Committee stage of the Bill further to consider the wording by which we wished to define those places where children assemble in numbers and where there might be some risk of infection. During the course of our discussions in Committee upstairs, the hon. Member for St. Pancras, North (Mr. K. Robinson) asked me to say precisely what my Department wished to exclude in the matter of these public places.
On giving the consideration which I promised, I feel that it is wiser to say exactly what we wish to include as the places where such a risk arises. The words in the Amendment cover the advice given to me by the medical advisers of my Department of places where a risk of infection is likely to arise. That being so, I hope that the amended wording will be satisfactory to the House and that the Amendment will be accepted.
I am grateful to the Parliamentary Secretary for the consideration she gave to the Amendment we moved in Committee. I think that she will now agree that the original wording was rather defective. It is probably the happiest solution to spell out the precise places to which this potential prohibition should supply. We support the Amendment.
Amendment agreed to.