§ 51. Mr. SITCHasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will state the grounds upon which the Government arrived at the decision that grants shall not be paid to disabled 582 men acquiring land or small holdings under a county council scheme; whether this sets aside the provisions of the Military Service (Civil Liabilities) Act established to assist men unable to resume their pre-war occupations; does he realise that, unless a grant is available for such ex-service men, none will be able to procure land unless they possess private means; whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction produced by the decision referred to among many who have already been accepted as suitable applicants for small holdings and that, in the absence of anticipated financial assistance, it will be impossible to establish many men in this most suitable occupation; and can he see his way to reconsider the decision, with the view to avoiding suffering and hardship among many deserving of every consideration and assistance from the State for services rendered?
§ Mr. BONAR LAW (Leader of the House)It has been decided that assistance may be given under the Civil Liabilities Scheme, 1918, to applicants acquiring land under a County Council Scheme subject to the same considerations as apply in other cases. I should add that the scheme is not governed by an Act, as suggested by the hon. Member, but by Treasury Regulations.