HC Deb 20 March 1946 vol 420 cc1972-4
Miss Wilkinson

I beg to move, in page 10, line 18, column 2, after "Act," to insert: or in accordance with section eleven of the Education Act, 1946. This Amendment makes it clear that any committee or sub-committee of a Divisional Executive are included in the. powers given to the Minister by Section 68 of the main Act. The intention was that all bodies having powers delegated by the local education authorities should be included, but the words "the First Schedule to this Act "in lines 17 and 18 of page 10 of the Bill were thought to make it doubtful whether, in fact, these committees and sub-committees,. who are authorised under Clause 11 of the Bill, are included. This Amendment is just to make that perfectly clear that they are included.

Amendment agreed to.

Miss Wilkinson

I beg to move, in page 14, line 7, column 2, to leave out from the beginning to "any," in line 3, and to insert: where the Minister is satisfied that the local education authority will require, for any purpose connected with education. The new proviso to section 14 (1) of the main Act, as set out on pages 13 and 14 of the Bill, provides amongst other things for two Amendments to the existing law. It empowers the Minister to provide that the school premises shall be conveyed to the local authority instead of requiring a money payment by the trustees. Secondly, it provides for a payment by the trustees, where the premises are not conveyed, of a value payment. For example, if a site were bought for 5,000 and increased by the time the transfer was effected to 10,000, it clearly would not be fair for the managers to sell that site for the 10,000 and just pay over 5,000. That is a simple illustration. The suggestion that the Statute ought to be able to provide for the conveyance of the premises instead of a money payment came originally from the Ministry, and it was never contemplated that the conveyance should be the means of an authority selling the premises in order to recoup themselves for expenses that they had incurred. In view of the fact that the new Proviso now provides for a value payment, we consider that the power to compel the conveyance of the premises should be confined to cases where the authority need them for educational purposes The authority should not be able to have these premises conveyed and then use them for some entirely different purpose. We want to protect the trustees from that point of view

8.15 p.m.

Mr. Stokes

I want to say a word on this. I am glad to see that the right hon. Lady has attended to it, because, as I said on a previous occasion when this point was under discussion, it is a little unfortunate that the first persons who were tackled on this subject of land values were the governors of schools who would be more likely to make use of the increased value of the land than anyone else. I merely take note of this in order to say that I hope the Government will deal in a much more comprehensive way with the whole question of the increase of land values.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendment made: In page 14, line 10, at the end, insert: in regard to the conveyance of those premises to the authority." — [Miss Wilkinson.]

Motion made, and Question, "That the Bill be now read the Third time," put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed.