The Bill to set up a register of insurance brokers now has little chance of becoming law unless the Government step in and provide time for it to complete its stages in the House of Commons. It ran into trouble in the House of Commons when Conservative M.P. Mr. Roger Moate’s one-man campaign to kill the Bill hit the bullseye.

“Lloyd’s List” Parliamentary Correspondent reported that because of Mr. Moate’s tactics, the Bill failed to meet its deadline by completing its report stage and third reading. Even a desperate last-minute offer by the Bill’s sponsor, Conservative backbencher Mr. John Page to accept an otherwise unacceptable amendment moved by Mr. Moate if he would stay silent and let the Bill go on, failed to secure the Faversham M.P.s co-operation.

In the closing minutes of the debate, with time rapidly running out, Junior Trade Secretary Mr. Clinton Davis said that if the Bill failed the responsibility for that would be Mr. Moate’s alone. Since the Bill has now used up its alloted time in the Commons it must go to the bottom of the list of private Member’s Bills to wait for a spare moment, and that means certain demise. Mr. Moate maintained, however, that there was a strong suspicion that the Government would give the Bill time but this was rejected by Mr. Davis who said that he could make no such guarantee.

And so a Bill which began life at the top of the list of private Member’s Bills with everything in its favour—overwhelming support in the House, and the backing of both the Government and the official Opposition—has fallen victim to the most effective Parliamentary weapon, which is time.

Thailand’s national airline, Thai Airways International, has ordered four European A-300 Airbuses and spare parts worth $120 million, Airbus Industrie announced. The airline is expected to buy eight more of the wide-bodied aircraft by 1982 to replace a fleet of DC-8s for its routes to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei and Manila, it said. Thai Airways International is the third Asian airline to buy the twin-engined Airbus, which can seat over 300 passengers, after Korean Airlines and Indian Airlines. The latest deal, concluded after two years of negotiations in the face of tough American competition, gives the French and West German Airbus manufacturers a much needed boost. After outselling United States planes in 1975, Airbus Industrie did not sell a single airliner last year.

Three major American airlines—Delta, United and Western—have decided not to buy the Airbus and ordered U.S. Boeing 727s or McDonnell Douglas DC-10s instead. But negotiations were under way with Pan American Airways, Eastern Airlines and several other U.S. companies. “We are now making a big comeback,” an Airbus Industrie spokesman said. “And we still hope to break into the U.S. market.” Airbus Industrie has to date sold 37 Airbuses. Airlines which operate Airbus fleets include Air France, Lufthansa, South African Airways, Bavarian Germanair, the French domestic airline Air Inter and the Belgian charter company Trans European Airways.