HC Deb 16 June 1927 vol 207 cc1168-9
35. Major Sir GRANVILLE WHELER

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that there have been cases of considerable delay between the receipt of tithe payments by Queen Anne's Bounty under the Tithe Act, 1925, and the payment to those clergy to whom payments should be made; and will he state bow long Queen Anne's Bounty holds tithe money received from tithe payers before making full payment to the tithe owners?

Mr. GUINNESS

My hon. Friend will understand that I am in no way responsible for Queen Anne's Bounty, upon whom was placed the duty of dealing with Ecclesiastical Tithe Rent-charge under the Tithe Act, 1925. I am, however, sending my hon. Friend a copy of the memorandum which I have obtained from the Bounty explaining their arrangements for the distribution of tithe rentcharge to incumbents.

Sir G. WHELER

Is it possible to get an answer to this question. This is a question of genuine hardship, as a considerable number of clergy do not receive their tithe payments in the way that they have been receiving them, and are suffering as a result.

Mr. GUINNESS

Yes, if we can get the information; but the administration is out of my hands. Parliament has decided that the administration, on certain terms, should be undertaken by the Queen Anne's Bounty.

36. Sir G. WHELER

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that, under the system of collection of tithe by Queen Anne's Bounty under the Tithe Act., 1925, many country clergy, who are tithe owners, are called upon to pay double for the cost of collection as compared with former costs; and whether he will consider the introduction of amending legislation to allow existing incumbents, who may desire to do so, to collect again their tithe providing that they give full security for the amount payable to the redemption fund?

Mr. GUINNESS

I am informed by Queen Anne's Bounty that, taking the country as a whole, the cost of collection of ecclesiastical tithe rentcharge has been considerably reduced since the Bounty took over the collection. If there have been any individual cases where the cost of collection has been increased, they constitute exceptions to the general rule The question of allowing incumbents to collect their tithe rentcharge was exhaustively discussed during the passage of the Tithe Act, 1925, through Parliament, and as a result Section 10 gave an existing incumbent who had collected his own tithe rentcharge a statutory right to continue to do so. 1,818 incumbents availed themselves of this right, and I am not prepared, therefore, to introduce any amending legislation