70. Lieut.-Colonel Dowerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to see that the charges made by architects and surveyors in respect of preparing specifications of war damage, supervising repairs and rendering of claims, should not fall upon the claimants as they are unable to recover the reasonable cost of complying with the requirements of the War Damage Commission.
§ Mr. DaltonSuch fees for preparing a specification conveying directions to the builder and for supervising the execution of the work are paid by the Commission who, however, have no power to repay the cost of assistance in preparing and submitting a claim.
Lieut.-Colonel DowerIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in actual practice fees which are charged are very much in excess of these amounts, and that they have to be paid by the person who has suffered war damage?
§ Mr. DaltonThe hon. and gallant Gentleman wrote to my Department about a particular case in which he was interested, and I tried to make it clear what the present law is. I must, of course, move within the field of the present law, and the answer I have given him sets out what the present law provides.
§ Mr. DaltonNo, I do not think it does.
71. Mr. Braddockasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the fact that the Mitcham Corporation, under their town planning powers and in order to comply with the Greater London plan, have sterilised sites where bombs fell and so prevented the rebuilding of houses scheduled for cost of works claim, he will allow claimants to be paid a portable cost of works to permit them to rebuild on other sites if obtainable.
§ Mr. DaltonA portable cost of works payment would benefit the owner of a damaged property more than the owner of an undamaged property in a reconstruction area, and this would be difficult to justify.
Mr. BraddockDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that this decision has put very great difficulties in the way of persons mentioned in the Question, making it almost impossible for a local authority who wants to comply with the town planning regulations to do so.
§ Mr. DaltonNo, Sir, I do not think that really is so. The question of the cost of works payment is a very large question and it has been referred to frequently in Debates in this House. I have no special knowledge of the case referred to, but broadly speaking I think my hon. Friend will find that my answer to the Question does deal with it.
72. Lieut.-Colonel Dowerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that several months delay occurs between the rendering of war damage claims for cost-of-works repairs and payment; and if he will take steps to speed up the settlement of such claims.
§ Mr. DaltonNo, Sir. On the average small claims are paid by the War Damage Commission within two or three weeks of receipt, and large claims in four to five weeks. This is pretty good going.
Lieut.-Colonel DowerWhile thanking the right hon. Gentleman for the information, may I ask him if he is aware that to send out these small claims small local assessors have to be employed, and that is where the bottleneck occurs because of the staff shortage?
§ Mr. DaltonI do not think there is any bottleneck. If the average is two or three weeks—
§ Mr. DaltonIt is so, and I state it as a fact. If the hon. and gallant Gentleman is citing a case in which the delay is greater that only proves that in a number of cases the time taken is less than two or three weeks.
Vice-Admiral TaylorIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that I myself had to wait for more than three months?
§ Mr. DaltonAnd other people get it in a few days.