AGRICULTURAL RATES BILL. (Hansard, 11 July 1923)

§ Mr. SPEAKER

With regard to the first new Clause, standing on the Notice Paper in the name of the hon. Member for West Woolwich (Sir K. Wood), and the third, in the name of the right hon. Member for Tiverton (Mr. Acland)—["Definition of agricultural land"]—both of which deal with the question of allotments, they are not in order as they stand at this place. There is one later on the Paper, in the name of the hon. Member for West Woolwich—["Explanation and meaning of 'allotment'"]—which is in order, and I shall call that when we reach it.

With regard to the second new Clause, in the name of the hon. Member for Forfar (Mr. Falconer)—["Rental value attributable to relief"]—he was good enough to submit his case for that Clause to me, and I gave it the most careful consideration. I was at first inclined to think that it was outside the scope of the Bill, as appeared to be the view also of the Chairman of the Standing Committee, but since then it has been brought to my notice that there is actually in the Schedule to the Bill a small provision which deals with the question of rent where rent if fixed by arbitration. Having regard to that, I have felt bound to rule in favour of the hon. Member. What I say with regard to his Clause applies also to the fourth new Clause on the Paper, in the name of the right hon. Member for Tiverton—["Instruction to arbitrator in fixing rents under s. 12 of Agricultural Holdings Act, 1923"]. I would express my obligations to the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Acland) for drawing my attention to a point which, up to then, had escaped my attention.