HC Deb 15 August 1940 vol 364 cc1030-2

5.36 p.m.

Sir K. Wood

I beg to move, in page 15, line 9, at the end, to insert: (2) Where the Treasury propose to make an order under this Section they shall publish, in such manner as they think best for informing persons appearing to them to be likely to be affected, notice of the proposal indicating generally the class of goods proposed to be dealt with by the order and the nature of the direction proposed to be given thereby, and the order shall not be made earlier than the expiration of fourteen days from the first publication of the notice. This Amendment is put forward to carry out an undertaking which I gave during the Committee stage of the Bill. The House will recollect that the Clause deals with the power of the Treasury to make Orders in relation to the Purchase Tax, and an Order so made comes before the House as a draft. The Order does not have effect until the House has approved of it. Some hon. Members may recollect that I gave an undertaking that these powers would be used only in minor matters and for the removal of anomalies disclosed by experience. Notwithstanding that, they would, of course, have their effect upon the traders concerned, and it was therefore suggested in the course of the Debate that it was not unreasonable, before a draft Order was submitted to the House for approval, that notice of the intention to make an Order should be given and that the notice should indicate generally the class of goods to be dealt with and the nature of the change.

We are leaving the matter open as to exactly what publication or publications should be used, because obviously a great deal depends upon the class of goods which are affected. In one case the pub- lication may be one trade journal and in another case it may be some other. Under this proposal the matter will be brought directly before those who are interested. The Amendment requires also a period of at least 14 days to pass between the publication of the notice and the laying of the draft for Parliamentary approval. I think that will give sufficient time for the usual conversations to take place between the Department and the trade. These discussions often result in clearing up many matters of difficulty. We shall thus not only be bringing the matter before the House but bringing it to the notice of the trades concerned.

In connection with this Clause, I want to refer to another undertaking which I gave to the hon. Member for Spen Valley (Mr. Woolley) and the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Wakefield). I promised during the Committee stage to see whether it was possible to ensure that notice should be given of the medicine and drugs which should be exempt under the part of the Schedule dealing with methanes. I propose to do this, using the procedure under Clause 20, which gives the Treasury power to direct, among other things, that the tax should not be chargeable in respect of goods in any class. The Order is laid before the House, but it does not have effect before it is approved by affirmative Resolution. Therefore we propose to give notice as early as possible of the intentions about these costly drugs. The notice will be published in an official publication and in other ways, and when we have received representations upon the list I shall, as I have done before, consult my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health, and the draft Order will then be prepared and laid before Parliament for approval.

Sir Irving Albery (Gravesend)

Why is it necessary, in the Amendment, to put in the word "generally"?

Sir K. Wood

That was the form which the Parliamentary draftsman thought best. We shall endeavour to give full information to the trades. It may be that some of the lists will be very long and contain a very large number of articles, but we shall endeavour to arrange matters so that the trades affected really know what is happening.

Colonel Gretton (Burton)

The Amendment is on a matter which was brought to the notice of the Chancellor of the Exchequer by hon. Members during the Committee stage, and it meets the points which were raised. It is not quite all that we wanted, but one does not get all that one asks for. In principle it meets our views, and I thank the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the action which he has taken.

Amendment agreed to.