.A

BILL

TO

Transfer the powers of the Secretary for Scotland A.D. 1926, to one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, and to increase the number of Secretaries of State and Under Secretaries of State capable of sitting and voting in the Commons House of Parliament, and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.

B

E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, 5 as follows:

for Scotland

1.-(1) On the first appointment after the passing Transfer of of this Act of an additional Principal Secretary of State powers and (if His Majesty is pleased to make such an appoint- duties from ment), all the powers and duties of the Secretary for Secretary 10 Scotland shall, by virtue of this Act, become powers to Secretary and duties of a Principal Secretary of State, and the of State. office of Secretary for Scotland and the office of Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health for Scotland shall be abolished.

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(2) For the purpose of the construction of any Act of Parliament, judgment, decree, order, award, warrant, deed, contract, regulation, byelaw, or other document passed or made before the time at which the transfer under this Act of the powers and duties of the Secretary 20 for Scotland to a Principal Secretary of State takes effect, references therein to the Secretary for Scotland

A.D. 1926. and to the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health for Scotland shall, as from the time of the said transfer, have effect as if they were respectively references to one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State and to an Under Secretary to that Principal Secretary of State.

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Transitory 2.-(1) Where anything in relation to the powers or provisions. duties transferred by this Act was commenced by or under the authority of the Secretary for Scotland before the time of the transfer aforesaid, that thing may be carried on and completed by or under the authority of a 10 Secretary of State.

Increase of number of Secretaries of State and

(2) Where at the time of the transfer aforesaid any legal proceeding is pending to which the Secretary for Scotland is a party and that proceeding has reference to the powers and duties transferred by this Act, a Secretary 15 of State shall be substituted in that proceeding for the Secretary for Scotland, and that proceeding shall not abate by reason of the substitution.

(3) All permanent secretaries, inspectors, clerks, or other officers employed under the Secretary for 20 Scotland at the time of the transfer aforesaid shall hold their offices and places under the Secretary of State, and shall do so upon the same terms and conditions, and shall have the same powers, privileges, and immunities with respect to the performance of their duties, 25 as if this Act had not passed.

3. The number of Principal Secretaries of State and of Under Secretaries of State capable of sitting and voting in the Commons House of Parliament shall Under Secre- be increased to six, and accordingly section four of 30 taries in the the Government of India Act, 1858, and section one of the House of Commons (Vacation of Seats) Act, 1864, as amended by section eleven of the Air Force (Constitution) Act, 1917, shall have effect as if the word "six" were substituted for the word "five" wherever that word 35 occurs in those sections as so amended.

House of
Commons.

21 & 22 Vict.
27 & 28 Vict.

c. 106.

c. 34.

7 & 8 Geo. 5. c. 51.

Short title

4. (1) This Act may be cited as the Secretaries and repeal. of State Act, 1926.

(2) The enactments mentioned in the Schedule to this Act shall, to the extent specified in the third column 40 of that Schedule, be repealed as from the time of the transfer aforesaid.