§ 35. Sir WILLIAM DAVISONasked the Minister of Agriculture whether the Commissioners of Crown Lands are authorised to modify ground rents on Crown property, in the interests of the property as a whole, on their own initiative, or whether in all such cases the sanction of the Treasury is required?
§ Captain Sir GEORGE BOWYERI have been asked to reply. Cases involving measures so unusual as a reduction of ground rents would come within the scope of the general rule affecting all Government Departments under which specific Treasury authority is required for financial arrangements of a novel character.
§ Sir W. DAVISONIs the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that in certain cases in Regent Street the rack rents received from the premises are only about one and a-half times the amount of the 21 ground rent, and can he not see how impossible it is for business people to carry on in such circumstances?
§ Mr. MACQUISTENDoes he not also see from that that the Government are the worst landlords?
§ Mr. KIRKWOODNationalise the land; that is the only solution for that.