§ 30. Sir William Waylandasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that tithepayers, as a condition of obtaining remission of excessive tithe, are being required to answer questions which, in many cases, they cannot answer—for example, to state in what tithe district the land it situate, although they have no information regarding tithe districts; and, further, to state the numbers of the tithe areas, although the tithe apportionments are not in the possession of the tithepayers nor readily available for their inspection; and whether he will take steps to secure that the county, parish, and ordnance survey numbers be accepted as a sufficient description of lands in respect of which a certificate of annual value is required.
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Lieut.-Colonel Colville)I have been asked to reply. The particulars required 857 to be given are prescribed by the Redemption Annuities Rules, 1936, made by the Tithe Redemption Commission under the Tithe Act, 1936. Should information regarding the tithe areas concerned not already be in the possession of land-owners, it can be obtained by inspecting the local copies of the instruments of tithe apportionment in the parish, where they are normally in the custody of the incumbents and churchwardens.
§ Sir W. WaylandIs there any objection to the ordinary ordnance maps being accepted? They are very easy to obtain; they can be purchased anywhere.
§ Lieut.-Colonel ColvilleThis information is required by the provisions of the Act. If my hon. Friend knows of any case in which the information cannot be obtained, perhaps he will let me know.