ACQUISITION OF LAND (ASSESSMENT OF COMPENSATION)— [SALARIES]. (Hansard, 14 April 1919)

§ The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Sir Gordon Hewart)
I beg to move, That it is expedient to authorise the payment, out of moneys to be provided by Parlia- 2681 ment, of salaries or remuneration to official valuers appointed under any Act of the present Session to amend the Law as to the Assessment of compensation in respect of land acquired compulsorily for public purposes and the costs in proceedings thereon. Perhaps it is necessary that I should say a word or two upon this Financial Resolution. It is proposed by the Bill that where land is compulsorily acquired by a Government Department or a local authority, any disputes should be referred to a panel of official valuers. The proposal here is that those valuers shall be paid out of the moneys provided by Parliament by way of salaries or remuneration. It is obvious that they must have salaries, and I hope this proposal will be accepted.

§ Sir D. MACLEAN
I do not know whether the Attorney-General was present during the discussion on the previous Resolution.

§ Sir G. HEWART
I was.

§ Sir D. MACLEAN
This is the first opportunity the Committee have had of seeing this Resolution, and I want to know something about the remuneration, how many valuers the estimate is for and how much their salaries are likely to be for the first year and matters of that kind. It is quite obvious that I have not the slightest desire except to put matters upon business lines. I propose, if the Committee gives the right hon. Gentleman this Resolution to-night, that before the Report stage he issues a White Paper, letting us know how many valuers it is proposed to appoint for the first year and what salaries it is proposed to pay them, so that we shall know what we are talking about and what are the proposals of the Government. I hope that my right hon. Friend will accede to this very modest request.

§ Sir G. HEWART
My, right hon. Friend says that his request is very moderate, and that this is the first time that this proposal is brought before the House.

§ Sir D. MACLEAN
In this form. Of course, it is in the Bill.

§ Sir G. HEWART
At any rate, it is contained in the Bill in the clearest possible terms. The Bill proposes that there shall be certain official valuers, and it goes on to propose that they shall be paid out of moneys to be provided by Parliament such salaries or remuneration as the Treasury may determine. It is perfectly obvious, as the Bill proceeds to be dis- 2682 cussed in Committee, that the question as to how many valuers there should be and what salary or remuneraiton should be paid to each must become the subject of discussion, and therefore the Committee and the House will not lose control of this Bill until those facts are perfectly well ascertained. At the moment it is not possible for me to say what may be the number of these valuers or what will be considered to be their appropriate remuneration. My right hon. Friend was present the other day when the Second Readings of this Bill was discussed, and the one desire of the House was that these gentlemen should be adequately remunerated, though there was never any suggestion that they should be excessively remunerated. If my right hon. Friend, however, presses what he is good enough to call his modest request, I am prepared to agree that, before the Report stage is reached, there shall be given, by White Paper or otherwise, particulars showing what number of valuers in the first instance it is proposed to appoint, and what sum is proposed for their remuneration.

§ Sir D. MACLEAN
We are very much indebted to my right hon. Friend for his ready acquiescence in what I hope will now become an established practice with regard to these Money Resolutions, namely, that in the first instance they be given on the Paper and be accompanied by a White Paper or other statement letting the House know with what it is dealing, so that it may have some ground for a business-like discussion of the proposal of the Government.