§ 42. Mr. T. Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the average valuation for rating of dwelling-houses owned by Dumfries County Council and the other dwelling-houses in the county, respectively.
§ Mr. MaclayI am informed that the average rateable value as at 16th May, 1956, of dwelling-houses in the Landward area of Dumfriesshire was £35 7s. 1d. in the case of houses owned by the county council and approximately £17 2s. in the case of other dwelling-houses, except agricultural houses, which are not separately valued.
§ Mr. FraserWill the right hon. Gentleman agree that the Answer that he has just given means that council tenants in Dumfriesshire pay more than twice as much as occupiers of other dwelling-houses in respect of all the local services, including education?
§ Mr. MaclayThe figures speak for themselves. The hon. Member will realise—and this is relevant—that rateable value is at present tied to actual rent, whether it is a fair rent or not. After 1961, of course, that position will alter, and all houses will be valued on a fair rent.
§ Mr. FraserThat does not answer my question. Does this mean that local authority tenants pay twice as much as other people for local authority services?
§ Mr. MaclayI am not prepared to draw any more distinctions than those arising directly from the figures which I have given to the hon. Member.
§ 43. Mr. T. Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the annual financial burden per house owned by Dumfries County Council at the last convenient date; and what was the Exchequer grant, the statutory rate contribution and the deficit.
§ Mr. MaclayThe total housing burden for 1955–56, according to the published accounts for that year, appróximated to £81 13s. per house. This was met to the extent of £30 14s. 6d. from rents. £23 16s. from the Exchequer and £27 2s. 6d. from rates. The last mentioned amount included an extra rate contribution to the extent of £19 4s. per house to cover the local authority's deficit for the year.
§ Mr. FraserDo not these figures show that even to liquidate the whole of the rate contribution to the housing revenue account, the rents of £30 could be increased properly by only £27, making a total of £57 when, in fact, the Dumfriesshire County Council is now charging rents of £95 a year?
§ Mr. MaclayThese are very rapid calculations worked out by the hon. Gentleman but, of course, what happens about rents is, as I have said before in the House, the responsibility of the local authority.
§ Mr. FraserIs not the Secretary of State responsible for ensuring that the county council makes the statutory rate contribution for these houses?
§ Mr. MaclayYes, Sir, certainly I am, and as I have explained, it has been done, or it will come out in answer to the next Question.
§ 44. Mr. T. Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he took to satisfy himself, before deciding the amount of the Exchequer contribution, that the Dumfries County Council was making the statutory rate contribution required in respect of its existing houses.
§ Mr. MaclayI obtained statements from the authority, certified by its Chief Financial Officer and Auditor.
§ Mr. FraserI do not think that that answers the Question. The right hon. Gentleman said that in answering this Question he would reply to my previous one.
§ Mr. MaclayI was answering Question No. 44, which has a relation to the previous Question.
§ Mr. FraserThe right hon. Gentleman has said that that Answer would show that the local authority has, in fact, made the statutory contribution, but the earlier figures that he has given show that it is not making the existing statutory rate contribution but has, in fact, anticipated legislation now before Parliament in regard to the number of houses that it is to build in the next five years.
§ Mr. MaclayNo, Sir. The Answer that I have just given applies, of course, to past history—
§ Mr. Maclay—and the hon. Gentleman's Question, which I had not clearly understood, clearly relates to the present position. As my hon. Friend the Joint Under-Secretary said yesterday, according to the information in my possession, the Dumfries-shire County Council proposes to make a rate contribution which will really be more than the statutory rate contribution that now exists.