CONFIDENTIAL
Page 140
C. The Scottish Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Bill was effectively two Bills in one. The Law Reform
NFIDENTIAL
(Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Bill was suitable for introduction in the House of Lords, but it did not simply reform the Scottish legal profession but also included a wide variety of other law reform measures. If it were to proceed, it would certainly be desirable to reduce it considerably from its present estimated length of same 50-70 clauses.
It was desirable that legislation to reform the Scottish egal profession should proceed next session along with legislation to reform the English profession. However, if the Scottish Bill did not proceed, the Government's
ontinuing firm commitment to reform of the Scottish legal profession would need to be made clear.
e. There was a strong case on resource and other grounds for proceeding with the private finance provisions of the Highways and Transport (Private Finance) Bill. The Birmingham North Relief Road was of critical importance to the West Machands. Proceeding through a hybrid Bill would only assistents of the scheme and cause added difficulties for me Government supporters.
f.
There was
expe for making other savings in the programme. Give this the pressures remained intense. Failure to deliver the programme because of these pressures would itself be embarrassing to the Government, as would failure to end the next session of Parliament as close to the conventional time as p
g.
There was a case for considering ways in which the number of amendments to Government Bills which were intended to remedy drafting deficiencies could be reduced, perhaps through the involvement of ex drafting resources from outside Government.
THE PRIME MINISTER, summing up the discussion, said that the Cabinet recognised the pressures facing the Government's Parliamentary business managers. It agreed that Bills on Export
hat Credit and Investment Guarantees and on Compta Misuse should not be included in the following session's (rogramme, although the latter should be offered to a Private Meme should however be made in the programme for a licensed tenants. Legislation on the detention
Provision short Bill on terrorist
LORT
suspects was not now in prospect. Cabinet agreed that subject to the outcome of the Parliamentary debates in the legislation on war crimes should be postponed beyond ext session. The Secretary of State for Scotland had made a strong case on constitutional and political grounds for the inclusion of two Scottish Bills in the programme: the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Bill should therefore
3
Page 140
CONFIDENTIAL
DENTIAL
Page 140