§ 17. Mr. Bossomasked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether, as the amount to be paid to the Government when a change of use for certain land is undertaken is arrived at by no scientific method but by a process of bargaining, he will eliminate this anomaly where the land is to be used for houses to be built to cost less than £1,500.
§ Mr. DaltonI do not accept the statement in the first part of the hon. Member's Question, and I am not at present prepared to adopt the proposal in the second part. But I have asked the Chairman of the Central Land Board to make suggestions to me, as soon as possible, for administrative simplifications and improvements.
§ Mr. BossomWill the right hon. Gentleman outline in the OFFICIAL REPORT the scientific method whereby these charges are made, because no one knows how this scientific reasoning is made up or how the amount is arrived at?
§ Mr. DaltonI do not think it would be appropriate to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT, but perhaps at a later stage we can discuss it.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithWould the right hon. Gentleman draw the attention of the Chairman of the Central Land Board to the wide variations that seem to follow the application of the scientific method?
§ Mr. DaltonI have asked him to advise me on all these matters.