HC Deb 26 June 1936 vol 313 cc2131-2

11.47 a.m.

Mr. TURTON

I beg to move, in page 11, line 10, to leave out from "less," to the end of the paragraph, and to insert: or two or more annuities amounting in the aggregate to one pound or less is or are charged in respect of land in any district or of land in that district and of adjacent land in another district, being land which is in the ownership of a single owner who does not own in the game capacity any other land in respect of which an annuity is charged situate in that district or adjacent to any of the land in respect of which that annuity or those annuities is or are charged. In the Committee stage an Amendment was moved which, although slightly different from the one I am now moving, had a similar intention, and the Minister told us that between then and now he would reconsider the position. In order to help him to reconsider the position, we have put down this Amendment. One finds many farms where one or two fields are not in the same district, for the purposes of the Tithe Act, and it usually happens in such cases that one solitary field has a tithe which does not amount to £1. Under the Clause as it is at present. the tithe on that field would he compulsorily redeemed and the farmer would have no option but to redeem it. The Amendment says that where the tithe amounts to less than £1 in respect of land in any district or of land in that district and of adjacent land in another district, it shall be compulsorily redeemed, but not otherwise. This would mean that in the case of a farmer, for instance, who has most of his farm in one tithe district and one field in another district, he would not need to have his tithe compulsorily redeemed. This is. on the face of it, a small matter, but I assure the Minister that throughout the country he will find such cases, and if this Amendment is not accepted, real hardship will be caused to the farmers.

Sir W. WAYLAND

I beg to second the Amendment.

I know of one farm of 46½ acres which is in four different parishes.

Mr. RAMSBOTHAM

I was very much impressed by the argument put forward in favour of this Amendment by my hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton), and by the very pertinent illustration given to the House by my hon. Friend the Member for Canterbury (Sir W. Wayland). In those circumstances, I accept the Amendment.

Amendment agreed to.