§ As amended (in the Standing Committee) considered.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe new Clause standing in the name of the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. T. Thomson)—[Power to hire dwelling-houses compulsorily for the purpose of providing housing accommodation]—cannot be taken on Report stage, because it involves a charge upon the rates, and a private Member cannot at this stage make a proposal of that kind.
Mr. T. THOMSONMay I point out that, in the first place, this would not eventually involve any charge upon the rates, because what the local authority pay for the house is recovered from the tenants; and, in the second place, as this was part of the original Bill and was given a Second Reading by this House and there were no financial resolutions connected with it, would not that fact affect your ruling on the point?
§ Mr. SPEAKERTaking the points raised by the hon. Member in reverse order, the fact that this Clause was in the Bill on the Second Reading does not affect the matter. A charge on rates contained in the Bill on the Second Reading can also be dealt with, or it can even be inserted in Committee. What the hon. Member said applies only to the Report stage, where we have a very strict practice with regard to anything that might involve a charge on the rates. It is quite possible that the charge might be recovered, but the Clause must necessarily involve a charge, at first, upon the rates, and I am bound to follow the practice in that respect, which is very strict. The same condition applies to another Amendment later on in reference to Clause 10.