HC Deb 03 April 1951 vol 486 c3
1. Mr. Derek Walker-Smith

asked the Minister of Works what are the tests used by the officers of his Department to distinguish between licensable and non-licensable works in the interior of buildings for the purposes of Defence Regulation 56A.

The Minister of Works (Mr. Stokes)

In the vast majority of cases the licensable work is clearly distinguishable, but where any doubt arises my officers can obtain legal advice.

Mr. Walker-Smith

Is not it the fact that the test they seek to apply is the distinction between landlord's fixtures and tenant's fixtures? Is not that a difficult test indeed to apply, and does not it give rise to a good deal of hardship in individual cases?

Mr. Stokes

I agree that any test is difficult to apply, and ultimately of course these matters have to be decided by the courts. My officers have instructions, but they are subject to legal interpretation after that.