§ 60 and 61. Mr. McKay asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he is aware of the hardship caused in cases where when the owner of a piece of land has paid a builder to build a house and supplied the money to pay the development charge, compensation is not paid to the owner; and what steps he will take to remedy this injustice;
§ (2) how many protests he has received against the action of the Central Land Board in refunding money for development charges to persons who did not originally raise the money to pay the charges but only passed on money provided by the owners of the land.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (Mr. W. F. Deedes)I understand that the hon. Member is referring to people who paid a price for house and land which was inclusive of development charge, and who do not hold any claim under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, for depreciation of land values. I am advised that the Town and Country Planning Act, 1954, does not authorise any payment to be made in such cases.
§ Mr. McKayHas the Minister taken notice of the case which I have sent to his Department in which the man who wanted a house built owned the land and made a contract for the building? Is it not true that in such a case the development charge rests on the man who owns the land? In the case I referred to, the money was handed over to the builder to pay on behalf of the land owner, but the Central Land Board is refusing to allow the charge as compensation for the land owner.
§ Mr. DeedesWe have received particulars from the hon. Member, and he will receive a very full reply. As there are so many details to this case, it does not lend itself very easily to Question and Answer, but I may say that the situation would have been no different under the 1947 Act.