CLAUSE 78.—(Extension of power to make a closing order as to part of a building.) (Hansard, 20 May 1935)

§ Mr. G. R. STRAUSS
I beg to move, in page 60, line 3, at the end, to insert: (2) Sub-section (1) of Section eighteen of the Act of 1925 shall have effect as if the words 'habitually used as a sleeping place were omitted therefrom. I do not want to argue this case; I put it before the Committee two or three days ago when the Bill was recommitted. The purpose of the Amendment is to 158 enable the Minister to carry out the undertaking which I, and I think everyone else, understood him to give in Committee upstairs, but which, not through bad faith but through inadvertence, n as not incorporated in the new Clause that he drew up. The Amendment will put the matter right, and enable this valuable power of closing rooms to be made general, as I think everyone agrees is desirable.

§ Mr. G. GRIFFITHS
I beg to second the Amendment.

Sir H. YOUNG
I hope that I shall satisfy the hon. Member for North Lambeth (Mr. G. R. Strauss) that we have met the case that has been put, and I am satisfied that it carries out the undertaking given in the Committee. I am not sure that it is fully appreciated how very far the actual Clause will go as amended. It goes very far. It extends the definition of Section 18 of the Act of 1925 to all underground rooms. That Amendment goes further than any intention that was expressed in the Committee. The position we take—and I think that it meets the whole practical case—is that if the underground room with which the local authority are dealing is unfit for human habitation for any reason they have power to close it under Section 20 of the Act of 1930. They have power to close the room if it is used for sleeping or to close any underground room which is unfit for human habitation. The Amendment of the hon. Member goes further and would enable them to close an underground room which was not unfit for human habitation simply because it was an underground room. There he goes too far. It might be that an underground room was not unfit and was not a sleeping room but perhaps a scullery or washhouse or a room used for some other purpose. To adopt the Amendment would be to go further than is necessary, and in those conditions I hope that the hon. Gentleman will not find it necessary to press the Amendment.

§ Mr. G. R. STRAUSS
I accept the interpretation by the Minister of the Clause which he has put down, but I have gone into this matter very carefully with authorities and I have been in- 159 formed definitely that it does riot cover the powers which Kensington have and which were considered desirable by the Committee and which, I understood, were accepted in principle in the Committee upstairs. I do not say that this is an all-important matter, but it has a certain importance, and, if it is possible for the advisers of the right hon. Gentleman to look into the matter a little further, I shall be very much obliged. I think that we are all in agreement on the matter, and it might be possible to have a further scrutiny of the position and see what can be done.

Sir H. YOUNG
I will gladly go into the matter with the bon. Member.

§ Mr. STRAUSS
I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.

§ Mr. GREENWOOD
I beg to move, That further Consideration of the Bill as amended, be now adjourned. We have made very considerable progress to-day, a great deal more than I personally had hoped for, and I would ask the Patronage Secretary whether we cannot adjourn now, so that on the next day, which I understand will complete the consideration of the Bill in this House, it may be possible for us to come 160 to some arrangement whereby the remainder of the Report stage can be finished by 6.30 to allow Members of the House to have some discussion on the Third Reading before the Bill goes to another place.

§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Captain Margesson)
The Government certainly do not wish to keep the House sitting unduly late this evening, and, if it be agreed in all quarters that we should finish the Report stage by not later than 6.30 on the next available day, and so have from 6.30 to 11 o'clock to complete the Third Reading, the Government are prepared to adjourn now.