HC Deb 03 June 1957 vol 571 cc1030-2
Mr. J. N. Browne

I beg to move, in page 24, line 33, to leave out paragraph 9.

This arises from an undertaking to look again at the necessity for an Amendment. As I said in Committee, the paragraph does not confer any new powers on the Treasury. These powers are already available under Section 1 of the Public Works Loans Act, 1897, amended by Section 4 of the Public Works Loans Act, 1917. The paragraph is intended for the convenience of those concerned with reading the principal Act. Hon. Members opposite did not like it. We are always glad to meet them, and so we have brought forward this Amendment.

Mr. T. Fraser

In Committee we objected to the inclusion of the paragraph because we thought it was a matter to be dealt with in the Public Works Loans Act and not in the Bill. We did not object to the subject being dealt with legislatively, but made it clear that the Bill was no place for a provision of this kind, and that certainly this part of the First Schedule, dealing with other minor modifications to existing statutes, was no place for it. We feel that we have rendered a service by drawing attention to it, and we are obliged to the Government for their Amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

Mr. J. N. Browne

I beg to move, in page 24, line 48, at the end to insert: 10. Section one hundred and eleven (which relates to improvement grants to persons other than local authorities) shall have effect with the addition at the end thereof of the following subsection, that is to say:— (8) If a local authority refuse to approve an application under this section, or, having approved such an application, pay by way of an improvement grant in respect thereof an amount smaller than the maximum amount allowed by subsection (1) of the next following section apart from the proviso to the said subsection, they shall, if the applicant so requests, notify him in writing of the grounds of their refusal or, as the case may be, the grounds of their decision not to pay the said maximum amount". The Amendment fulfils an undertaking given to my hon. Friend the Member for Scotstoun (Sir J. Hutchison), who moved in Committee a new Clause having the same object in view. It is only fair that if the grant given is below the permitted maximum the applicant should know the reason why.

Mr. T. Fraser

Some of us think that the Amendment is nonsense. It is nonsense to legislate for courtesy on the part of local authorities. Most local authorities in Scotland would normally tell the applicant why the grant they gave him was less than the permitted maximum. The Joint Under-Secretary has many times appealed to us today to trust local authorities, but apparently he does not trust town clerks to be courteous to people who apply for grants.

Most town clerks are sufficiently courteous, when their authority has reached a decision, to tell the applicant why his application has been turned down. There are instances where Tory-controlled authorities have refused to give reasons. The Joint Under-Secretary knows of instances where Tory-controlled authorities have refused to give reasons, but we have no instance of a Labour-con trolled authority refusing to treat applicants courteously. It is no business of Parliament to require by Statute that town clerks should send polite replies. We can leave that to the town clerks.

Mr. Hoy

Those who were present in the Scottish Grand Committee will remember that the Committee unanimously rejected an Amendment on similar lines. Perhaps by saying these few words we have enabled the hon. Member for Scotstoun (Sir J. Hutchison) to be present to hear the Amendment moved by the Joint Under-Secretary.

Sir James Hutchison (Glasgow, Scotstoun)

I want to say a word of indebtedness to my hon. Friend for having picked up the idea and for having introduced the Amendment.

Mr. Ross

It should be noted that the only contribution of Conservative back benchers to the Committee stage of the Bill was to put down an Amendment which has been accepted by the Government and which will prove meddlesome, irksome and grandmotherly to local authorities.

Amendment agreed to.