HC Deb 23 May 1938 vol 336 cc923-4

7.2 p.m.

Mr. T. Williams

I beg to move, in page 2, line 21, to leave out from the first "of," to "proviso," in line 24.

This is the first of a series of Amendments which hang together, and the right hon. Gentleman indicates by an Amendment which he has down on the Paper that he is going to accept the principle embodied in them. If there has been a breach of the conditions entered into by the owner of the property, or if the owner of the property desires to make repayment of sums received by him, the local authority has power to call for repayment of the whole or a portion of the advances made from the rates. The acceptance of these Amendments implies that, where the owner of the property has definitely committed a breach of the contract into which he has entered, the local authority shall not have the power to reduce the repayments to be made by the owner. When this Amendment is accepted, the power of the local authority to determine whether the whole or part of the repayment shall take place shall be exclusively in the case where the owner of the property definitely makes application to the local authority to accept the option provided for in the Bill.

7.5 P.m.

Mr. Elliot

I advise the House to accept the Amendment. The arguments that have been advanced in support of it are reasonable, and indeed on a previous stage of the Bill they were advanced from more than one quarter of the House. I have set down a further Amendment which is in line with these but does not go in any way counter to their intentions.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendments made:

In page 2, line 29, leave out "(3) or." —[Mr. T. Williams.]

In line 3o, leave out "breach of conditions or."—[Mr. Elliot.]

In line 32, leave out "the breach is ascertained, or."

In line 39, leave out "breach or of the."

In line 40, leave out "as the case may be."—[Mr. T. Williams.]