MR. LLOYD MORGAN (Carmarthen, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether the Carmarthen Rural District Council and the Llanfihangel Abercowin Parish Council have asked for permission to borrow money to enable them to carry out an order of the Board of Agriculture for the improvement of the market place at St. Clears; whether such permission has been withheld on the ground that the Local Government Board has no power to sanction a loan in respect of improvements of market places which are not vested in district councils; whether this difficulty has arisen owing to the fact that neither the Public Health Acts nor the Sanitary Acts contemplated the exercise of powers in respect of market places by rural district councils; whether, having regard to the fact that the closing of the St. Clears and other markets in the county of Carmarthen would mean very serious injury to important agricultural interests, he will state in what way the local authorities can raise money for the purpose of complying with the said order of the Board of Agriculture; and, if there is no such way at present available, whether the Government will introduce a short Bill to give councils the necessary powers?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARDNo order, as I understand, has been made on either 416 of the local authorities referred to. With that exception, the facts as stated in the Question are, I believe, correct; but I am not aware of any means by which either a rural district council or a parish council can, under the existing law, raise money for the purpose of improving markets, which, as I understand in this case, are not their property. I am afraid I cannot hold out any expectation of my being able to introduce a Bill to enable them to do so.