HC Deb 20 June 1947 vol 438 cc2439-41

Considered in Committee under Standing Order No. 69.—(King's Recommendation signified.)

[Mr. HUBERT BEAUMONT in the Chair.]

Motion made, and Question proposed: That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session to authorise the making out of moneys provided by Parliament of acreage payments in respect of crops grown in the year nineteen hundred and forty-seven on land affected by abnormal flooding, to amend the Hill Farming Act, 1946, as respects subsidy payments for sheep, and to authorise the making of advances in respect of such subsidy payments for the years nineteen hundred and forty-eight and nineteen hundred and forty-nine (in this Resolution referred to as 'the new Act'), it is expedient to authorise the payment out of moneys provided by Parliament—

  1. (a) of expenditure authorised by the new Act, whether incurred before or after the passing thereof, in making acreage payments in respect of crops grown in the year nineteen hundred and forty-seven on land affected by abnormal flooding;
  2. (b) of any increase in the sums payable out of moneys provided by Parliament under Section thirteen of the Hill Farming Act, 1946, which is attributable to provisions of the new Act enabling subsidy payments in respect of sheep to be calculated by reference to circumstances at the first relevant day for the purposes of that section notwithstanding that the payments relate to a subsequent such relevant day;
  3. (c) of advances authorised by the new Act, whether made before or after the passing thereof, in the case of such subsidy payments as aforesaid relating to the second and third relevant days for the purposes of the said Section thirteen."—[Mr. T. Fraser.]

3.53 p.m.

Major Sir Thomas Dugdale (Richmond)

On a point of Order, Mr. Beaumont. Is it proposed to call the Amendments which are on the Order Paper?

The Deputy-Chairman

The Amendments are out of Order, and therefore are not being called.

Sir T. Dugdale

My right hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Gains-borough (Captain Crookshank) and I very much regret that these Amendments could not be discussed because they raise two very important points in regard to the Bill to which we have just given a Second Reading. I hope that the Government will be able to say something about cattle, because in his reply the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland seemed to misunderstand the position. We in no way intended that cattle and sheep should be considered under the same scheme, but only that cattle should be given the same consideration as sheep. The other point is that on the Second Reading Debate the Minister referred to the length of time in which advance payments could be made. He referred to two or possibly three years in advance. The Money Resolution specifically states the years 1948 and 1949. These advances appear to be made under the provisions of the Hill Farming Act, 1946. I hope the Government will look into the wording of the Money Resolution to see if it covers what the Minister said in his Second Reading speech.

We feel that the finances of this scheme—the administration of the Money Resolution and the financial side of the Bill—will be a most terrible ramp. The Bill deals only with the acreage payment and certain measures dealing with the Hill Farming Act, 1946, but throughout the Debate, running parallel with and intertwined with the money which is to be distributed under this Bill, goes the Disaster Fund, the Lord Mayor's Fund and the goods and services scheme presently operated under the Emergency Powers Act.

The Deputy-Chairman

I have allowed the hon. and gallant Member to stray, but he must now return to the Resolution under discussion.

Mr. Dugdale

I bow to your Ruling, Mr. Beaumont, and would conclude by expressing the hope that this extremely difficult network of financial arrangements will be given very careful consideration when the Government begin to operate this Bill.

Mr. C. Davies

I should like to supplement what has been said by the hon. Gentleman. This is another instance of the danger of drawing the Money Resolution so narrowly that it does not really conform with the intentions of the Minister—as this certainly does not conform with those expressed by the right hon. Gentleman with regard to this Bill. I am anxious that the Minister should not be bound, as he may be bound under this Money Resolution, when he comes to draw up the schemes he intends to draw up under this Bill. In his own interest, he should reconsider this matter

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolution to be reported upon Monday next.