§ 11.25 a.m.
§ Mr. LawsonI beg to move, in page 4, line 29, to leave out from "1928" to the end of the paragraph.
I only move this Amendment for the purpose of getting an explanation from the Minister. I should like to ask the Minister why it is that an industrial undertaking is defined as not including any factory in which less than 10 persons are employed.
§ Mr. E. BrownIt does not follow, of course, that a factory employing, say, 11 men would be qualified, but the issue is whether a factory is likely to employ 10 or more persons. Supposing that there were a reasonable prospect of its employing 50, 60, or 100 later on, there is no reason why it should not qualify, but obviously it was not the policy to provide financial facilities under this Bill or the Special Areas Reconstruction Act to encourage the coming of factories to 2226 areas if they were never likely to employ more than a small number of persons. The one thing that we do not want to do is to encourage false hopes.
§ Mr. LawsonI beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause stand part of the Bill."
§ 11.27 a.m.
§ Mr. BarrI promise not to detain the Committee for more than a few moments: [HON MEMBERS: "Why not"?] It is very easy for those who have only come here this morning to say that to those who have been here doing their duty all through the night. I should like some guidance and, if possible, an answer from the Minister. It will be noted that under the definition of "field drainage" in Clause 7 it includes the drainage of moor land. That refers to a provision in Subsection (2) of Clause 4, and the question I want to ask the Minister is whether the term "field drainage" would include, 2227 under this Bill, the de-watering of mines. In the Final Report of the Commissioner for the Special Areas in Scotland there is included, among the schemes for which financial assistance from the Special Areas Fund has been provided, the de-watering of mines. This is a vital matter to my constituency. At the present moment, in spite of all that is being said about prosperity, there are still about 8,000 persons unemployed in my constituency—4,500 in Coatbridge and 3,500 in Airdrie, and, of the Aidrie unemployed, almost 1,000 are accounted for by the abandonment of mines due to their being water-logged and for other reasons. If the de-watering of these mines could be successfully carried out, it would make a very substantial inroad on the unemployment figures in my constituency.
§ Mr. E. BrownThe hon. Member is, of course, raising very big issues, and I regret that I cannot give him any hope in that direction. Field drainage does not include the de-watering of mines.
§ Mr. BarrI would like to emphasise the point that already a survey for the de-watering of mines is included among the schemes for which financial assistance to the Special Areas had been provided. Will not that be covered by the definition in the Clause?
§ Mr. BrownNo. The hon. Member is trying to read too much into the proposed powers of the Commissioners.
§ Mr. T. SmithI should like to call attention to the language used in this interpretation.
Factory means premises suitable for occupation is a factory or workshop.Should it not read "as a factory or workshop."
§ Clause 8 ordered to stand part of the Bill.