§ I think that in this particular case the allotment holders have the balance in favour of them, and I am sorry, therefore that the right hon. Gentleman has not been able to accept the Amendment.
§ Question put, "That the words ' six months ' stand part of the Bill."
§ The House divided: Ayes, 94; Noes, 68.
1945| Division No. 212.] | AYES. | [2.0 p. m. |
| Acland-Troyte, Lieut.-Colonel | Forrest, W. | Percy, Lord Eustace (Hastings) |
| Baldwin, Rt. Hon. Stanley | Gibbs, Col. Rt. Hon. George Abraham | Peto, G. (Somerset, Frome) |
| Barnston, Major Sir Harry | Gilmour, Lt.-Col. Rt. Hon. Sir John | Pilditch, Sir Philip |
| Beamish, Captain T. P. H. | Glyn, Major R. G. C. | Price, Major C. W. M. |
| Berry, Sir George | Greene, W. P. Crawford | Ramsden, E. |
| Blundell, F. N. | Grotrian, H. Brent | Sandeman, A. Stewart |
| Bourne, Captain Robert Croft | Gunston, Captain D. W. | Savery, S. S. |
| Bridgeman, Rt. Hon. William Clive | Harrison, G. J. C. | Shaw, Capt. W. W. (Wilts, Westb'y) |
| Brocklebank, C. E. R. | Hawke, John Anthony | Simms, Dr. John M. (Co. Down) |
| Brooke, Brigadier-General C. R. I. | Henn, Sir Sydney H. | Slaney, Major P. Kenyon |
| Broun-Lindsay, Major H. | Hogg, Rt. Hon. Sir D.(St. Marylebone) | Smith-Carington, Neville W. |
| Burney, Lieut.-Com. Charles D. | Holbrook, Sir Arthur Richard | Smithers, Waldron |
| Campbell, E. T. | Hopkins, J. W. W. | Spender Clay, Colonel H. |
| Cautley, Sir Henry S. | Hume, Sir G. H. | Styles, Captain H. Walter |
| Cazalet, Captain Victor A. | Hurd, Percy A. | Sykes, Major-Gen. Sir Frederick H. |
| Chadwick, Sir Robert Burton | Jackson, Lieut.-Colonel Hon. F. S. | Tasker, Major R. Inigo |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. N. (Ladywood) | Jacob, A. E. | Thomson, F. C. (Aberdeen, South) |
| Churchman, Sir Arthur C. | Knox, Sir Alfred | Tinne, J. A. |
| Cobb, Sir Cyril | Lane-Fox, Lieut.-Col. George R. | Ward, Lt.-Col. A. L.(Kingston-on-Hull) |
| Cochrane, Commander Hon. A. D. | MacAndrew, Charles Glen | Waterhouse, Captain Charles |
| Colfox, Major Wm. Phillips | Macdonald, Capt. P. D. (I. of W.) | Watson, Sir F. (Pudsey and Otley) |
| Conway. Sir W. Martin | McDonnell, Colonel Hon. Angus | Watts, Dr. T. |
| Cope, Major William | McLean, Major A. | Wheler, Major Sir Granville C. H. |
| Couper, J. B. | Milne, J. S. Wardlaw- | Williams, Com. C. (Devon, Torquay) |
| Courthope, Lieut.-Col. Sir George L. | Mitchell, S. (Lanark, Lanark) | Windsor-Clive, Lieut.-Colonel George |
| Craik, Rt. Hon. Sir Henry | Mitchell, Sir W. Lane (Streatham) | Wise, Sir Fredric |
| Davies, A. V. (Lancaster, Royton) | Monsell, Eyres, Com. Rt. Hon. B. M. | Wood, Rt. Hon. E. (York, W. R., Ripon) |
| Dixey, A. C. | Moore, Sir Newton J. | Worthington-Evans, Rt. Hon. Sir L. |
| Edwards, John H. (Accrington) | Moore, Lieut.-Colonel T. C. R. (Ayr) | |
| Elliot, Captain Walter E. | Moreing, Captain A. H. | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.— |
| Falle, Sir Bertram G. | Oakley, T. | Mr. Looker and Sir Douglas |
| Fermoy, Lord | Oman, Sir Charles William C. | Newton. |
| Forestier-Walker, Sir L. | Pennefather, Sir John |
| NOES. | ||
| Ammon, Charles George | Hirst, W. (Bradford, South) | Slesser, Sir Henry H. |
| Attlee, Clement Richard | Hudson, J. H. (Huddersfield) | Smith, H. B. Lees (Keighley) |
| Baker, J. (Wolverhampton, Bilston) | Jones, T. I. Mardy (Pontypridd) | Snell, Harry |
| Baker, Walter | Kelly, W. T. | Stephen, Campbell |
| Barnes, A. | Kennedy, T. | Sugden, Sir Wilfrid |
| Batey, Joseph | Kenyon, Barnet | Taylor, R. A. |
| Bromley, J. | Lamb, J. Q. | Thorne, G. R. (Wolverhampton, E.) |
| Cluse, W. S. | Lansbury, George | Thorne, W. (West Ham, Plaistow) |
| Craig, Capt. Rt. Hon. C. C. (Antrim) | Livingstone, A. M. | Thurtle, E. |
| Dalton, Hugh | Lowth, T. | Viant, S. P. |
| Davies, Evan (Ebbw Vale) | MacDonald, Rt. Hon. J. R. (Aberavon) | Webb, Rt. Hon. Sidney |
| Day, Colonel Harry | March, S. | Wedgwood, Rt. Hon Josiah |
| Dunnico, H. | Montague, Frederick | Westwood, J. |
| Foster, Sir Harry S. | Morrison, R. C. (Tottenham, N.) | Wilkinson, Ellen C. |
| Garro-Jones, Captain G. M. | Naylor, T. E. | Williams, T. (York, Don Valley) |
| Gosling, Harry | Newman, Sir R. H. S. D. L. (Exeter) | Wilson, C. H. (Sheffield, Attercliffe) |
| Griffiths, T. (Monmouth, Pontypool) | Paling, W. | Windsor, Walter |
| Groves, T. | Potts, John S. | Womersley, W. J. |
| Guest, Capt. Rt. Hon. F. E. (Bristol, N.) | Richardson, R. (Houghton-le-Spring) | Wright, W. |
| Guest, Dr. L. Haden (Southwark, N.) | Ritson, J. | Young, Robert (Lancaster, Newton) |
| Hall, F. (York, W. R., Normanton) | Robinson, Sir T. (Lancs., Stretford) | |
| Hamilton, Sir R. (Orkney & Shetland) | Scrymgeour, E. | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.— |
| Henderson, Rt. Hon. A. (Burnley) | Shaw, Rt. Hon. Thomas (Preston) | Mr. Charles Edwards and Mr. |
| Henderson, T. (Glasgow) | Shiels, Dr. Drummond | Hayes. |
§ insert the words "after consultation with the Minister of Health."
§ Clause 7 deals with the subsequent sale for other purposes of land purchased for 1947 allotments, and inasmuch as the Ministry of Health is directly responsible for the conduct of that business with local authorities, it seems reasonable that the Minister of Health should have the opportunity of consultation with the Minister of Agriculture on these administrative matters.
§ Amendment agreed to.
Mr. WOODI beg to move, in page 5, line 5, to leave out the word "impracticable," and to insert instead thereof the words "not reasonably practicable."
Hon. Members will realise that it is very hard to say what is impracticable, and, indeed, there are very few limits within which by some means or other a thing could not be held to be practicable. I think the words "not reasonably practicable" would be better.
§ Amendment agreed to.
Mr. WOODI beg to move, in page 5, line 5, at the end, to insert the words
and where such consent is obtained the sanction of the county council under Section thirty-two of The Small Holdings and Allotments Act, 1908, shall not be required.This is really almost a consequential Amendment following upon the insertion of the Amendment necessitating consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health. By virtue of Section 32 of the Act of 1908 a local authority can only sell the land provided they have obtained the sanction of the county council. We have just provided that they can only sell the land provided they obtain the sanction of the Minister of Agriculture after consultation with the Minister of Health, and in those circumstances it seems unnecessary to impose upon them the necessity of obtaining a third sanction from the county council.
§ Mr. HURDI do not want to oppose this Amendment, but I would like to ask the Minister to bear in mind on future occasions whether it is necessary to obtain the consent of Whitehall in these purely local matters. Surely it is a matter to be left in the hands of the local bodies, who know the circumstances, rather than to bring in the Minister of Health and the Minister of Agriculture. We really know how to manage our own affairs in our own localities up to a certain point.
§ Sir HARRY FOSTERI believe that all these Amendments to this Clause are 1948 made on the suggestion of the Association of Municipal Corporations, and on their behalf I would like to thank my right hon. Friend for having adopted those suggestions.
§ Amendment agreed to.