This Bill was promoted by the King's Fund in co-operation with the British Hospitals Association to enable hospitals to obtain from the Charity Commissioners legal power to carry out schemes for providing pay beds , by means of funds specially received or collected for the purpose, where they do not already possess, under their existing powers, the necessary authority to carry out such schemes. The object of this Memorandum is to summarise for the use of hospital such practical information about the scope and the provisions of the Act as the promoters have acquired during the drafting of the Bill and its passage through Parliament.