HC Deb 15 July 1930 vol 241 cc1204-6
Major ELLIOT

I beg to move, in page 31, line 36, to leave out the words "a water closet," and to insert instead thereof the words "the remedying of sanitary defects."

This new Clause, which was put down in manuscript on the very last day of the Committee stage of the Bill, gives a power of appeal to a tenant or occupier in regard to the provision of a water supply or water closet or the execution of works necessary to render a house fit for human habitation. I suggest that the words used here should be the same as those which are used throughout the rest of the Bill, "the remedying of sanitary defects." The Amendment will not narrow or weaken the Bill; on the contrary, it widens it. The remedying of sanitary defects covers the installation of a water closet, as well as other things, and it seems to be unnecessary to specify a water closet particularly. It might focus attention on it to the exclusion of the remedying of other sanitary defects, or lead some local authority to think that Parliament attached some special importance to the provision of a water-borne sewage system. There are places in rural districts where a water-borne sewage system may be either undesirable or unnecessary. In any case, these words will leave the law as wide as possible, and as they have been used in the rest of the Bill I do not think there is any real reason why they should not be used here.

Sir FREDERICK THOMSON

I beg to second the Amendment.

Mr. JOHNSTON

The reason for the insertion of a specific reference to a water closet is that under Section 20 of the Act of 1925 it is the duty of every local authority to require for each house: a sufficient water closet wherever it is reasonably practicable so to do. There is a similar statutory requirement in the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1919. This Clause contains the provision that: If the tenant or occupier of a dwelling-house is aggrieved by any decision of a local authority with respect to the provision of a water supply or a water closet for the house or the execution of works necessary to render the house fit for human habitation he may appeal to the sheriff or the Department. We believe that those words are sufficiently wide to cover all that is necessary or desirable, and that the specific reference to a water closet should be inserted to keep this Bill in harmony with the Acts I have quoted.

Major ELLIOT

May I point out that Section 20 of the Act of 1925 which the hon. Member quoted says that the owner shall be required to provide a sufficient water closet wherever it is reasonably practicable so to do, and, where that is not so practicable, a sufficient earth closet. If he desires to bring this Measure into harmony with the Act of 1925, I suggest that he should insert both clauses of the sentence. He is not bringing it into harmony with the other Acts when he inserts half of a sentence and not the whole of it. There may be many cases in rural areas where a sufficient earth closet would be a more desirable thing to provide than a water closet.

Mr. JOHNSTON

The Secretary of State and the officers of the Department will consider this point. I would point out that there is an appeal to the sheriff in case of anything unreasonable being attempted, but we will consider the point the hon. and gallant Member has put forward.

Major ELLIOT

On the understanding that the point will be further considered I beg leave to withdraw the Amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.