HC Deb 18 February 1957 vol 565 cc161-5

Considered in Committee under Standing Order No. 84 (Money Committees).—[Queen's Recommendation signified.]

[Sir CHARLES MACANDREW in the Chair]

Motion made, and Question proposed, That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session making new provision, among other matters, with respect to contributions out of the Exchequer and by local authorities in respect of housing accommodation provided or improved in Scotland and enabling Scottish local authorities to provide housing accommodation and other development in relief of the needs of districts other than their own, it is expedient— A. To authorise the payment out of moneys provided by Parliament of any expenses incurred by the Secretary of State in paying to a local authority, or in certain cases to a development corporation,—

  1. (a) in respect of any approved house an annual contribution for a period of sixty 163 years of the appropriate amount hereinafter specified, that is to say—
    1. (i) in the case of a house provided by a local authority other than a house such as is mentioned under the four next following sub-heads, twenty-four pounds;
    2. (ii) in the case of a house provided by a local authority in accordance with arrangements made with the approval of the Secretary of State as being desirable by reason of special circumstances for the provision of housing accommodation in any area for persons coming to that area in order to meet the urgent needs of industry, thirty pounds;
    3. (iii) in the case of a house provided by a local authority by way of housing accommodation for the agricultural population, thirty-six pounds;
    4. (iv) in the case of a house provided by a local authority in pursuance of any overspill agreement, forty-two pounds;
    5. (v) in the case of a house provided by a local authority, being an exporting authority, in the district of another local authority, forty-two pounds;
    6. (vi) in the case of a house provided by a development corporation otherwise than in pursuance of arrangements made under section eighty of the Act of 1950. forty-two pounds;
    7. (vii) in the case of a house provided by a housing association under arrangements made under the said section eighty, such one of the amounts mentioned in sub-heads (i). (ii) and (iii) of this head as the Secretary of State may determine to be appropriate;
  2. (b) in respect of any approved house which is a flat contained in a block of flats, an additional annual contribution for a period of sixty years of such amount as may be determined by the Secretary of State to be necessary to secure the amortisation over the said period of an amount equal to two-thirds of the sum, if any, by which the cost of the house exceeds such sum as may be so determined to represent the average cost of approved houses in Scotland (exclusive of such houses as may be so determined) at the time of the approval by the Secretary of State of the proposals in accordance with which the house is provided;
  3. (c) in respect of any approved house (not being a house provided by a development corporation or the town council of a large burgh) an additional annual contribution for a period of sixty years of such amount as the Secretary of State considers just and reasonable having regard to the remoteness of the site of that house or the sites of other houses from centres of supply of building labour and materials;
  4. (d) contributions towards the expenditure incurred by a local authority in connection with—
    1. (i) the acquisition or appropriation of land situated within the area to which any town development scheme relates, or the clearing or preliminary development of land so situated, or
    2. 164
    3. (ii) the provision for the purposes of any town development scheme of any water supply or sewerage service,
being contributions of such amounts and payable in such cases, over such periods and subject to such conditions, as may be determined by or under regulations made under any provision of the said Act of the present Session relating to town development schemes; B. To authorise the payment out of moneys provided by Parliament of any expenses incurred by the Secretary of State in paying to the Scottish Special Housing Association,—
  1. (a) in respect of any house (as defined for the purposes of any provision of the said Act of the present Session relating to the said Association) provided by them an annual contribution for a period of sixty years of an amount, in each year, equal to the annual contribution, or, as the case may be, the sum of the annual contributions, which would have been payable in that year under subsection (7) of section eighty-four and sections eighty-six, eighty-eight and eighty-nine of the Act of 1950, and any provision of the said Act of the present Session providing for the payment of Exchequer contributions in respect of houses provided by a local authority, if the house had been a house provided by a local authority;
  2. (b) such further contributions as the Secretary of State may determine;
C. To authorise the payment out of moneys provided by Parliament of any increase attributable to the provisions of the said Act of the present Session in the sums required or authorised under any other Aot to be so paid; D. To authorise the payment into the Exchequer of any receipts of the Secretary of State under the said Act of the present Session.

In this Resolution— Act of 1950" means the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1950; approved house" means a new house which is—

  1. (a) provided by a local authority in the exercise of their power to provide housing accommodation, or by a development corporation otherwise than in pursuance of arrangements made under section eighty of the Act of 1950, and in respect of which the proposals after-mentioned, accompanied by such information as is required by the Secretary of State as to the estimated cost of erection of the house, were or are received by the Secretary of State on or after the first day of August, nineteen hundred and fifty-six, or
  2. (b) provided by a housing association in pursuance of arrangements made under the said section eighty on or after the said first day of August,
being a house for which proposals have been submitted to the Secretary of State and have been approved by him for the purposes of the said Act of the present Session; exporting authority" means a local authority, being a local authority for a district which has a need for housing accommodation which cannot in the opinion of the Secretary of State be properly and fully met by the provision of housing accommodation within the district, who propose to make or have made arrangements for the meeting of that need, in whole or in part, by the provision of housing accommodation outside their district; overspill agreement" means an agreement entered into between an exporting authority and another local authority or a development corporation for the provision by that other authority, or, as the case may be, that corporation, of housing accommodation to meet, in whole or in part, the needs of the district of the exporting authority; town development scheme" means a scheme made by a local authority and approved by the Secretary of State, and containing proposals for development to be carried out in conjunction with the provision of housing accommodation in the district of that local authority in pursuance of arrangements made by another local authority for meeting, in whole or in part, any need of their district for housing accommodation which is in the opinion of the Secretary of State cannot be properly and fully met by the provision of such accommodation within their district.—[Mr. Maclay.]

Mr. Emrys Hughes (South Ayrshire) rose

The Chairman

The hon. Member is allowed to ask a question.

Mr. Hughes

I merely wished to point out that, in view of the low vote, it might be as well if we took the Money Resolution on another night.

Mr. E. G. Willis (Edinburgh, East) rose

It being after Ten o'clock and objection being taken to further Proceeding, The CHAIRMAN left the Chair to report Progress and ask leave to sit again.

Committee report Progress; to sit again Tomorrow.

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