§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. J. B. Godber)I beg to move, in page 2, line 22, at the end to insert:
(5) Where the applicant satisfies the appropriate Minister, at any time before that Minister has determined whether to approve his proposals, that the cost of the proposals has been increased by their being designed both for the provision of specified facilities as mentioned in subsection (1) or (2) of this section and for other purposes, and agrees with the Minister what proportion of the cost is to be treated as referable to the provision of specified facilities as aforesaid, then—This Amendment looks rather complicated, but I do not think that it will really require a very long explanation. It is designed to enable us to deal with 375 a type of case which we think may prove rather common under the horticultural improvements scheme. Briefly, subsections (2) and (3) of this Clause enable my right hon. Friend to pay grants towards the cost of providing specified facilities for the purposes set out in the subsections. Subsection (4) provides that we may not approve proposals unless we are satisfied that the expenditure incurred in carrying them out will not be unreasonably high in relation to the benefit to the business, that is to say, the business as defined in the Bill.
- (a) regard shall be had only to that proportion of the cost for the purposes of the foregoing subsection, and
- (b) in relation to those proposals references in this part of this Act to expenditure reasonably incurred in carrying them out, or expenditure in respect of which grant would be payable, shall he construed as references to that proportion of such expenditure.
Cases may arise, however, where an applicant wishes to provide facilities which will serve, shall we say, two purposes, one within the scope of the Bill and one outside it. For example, a co-operative association may be carrying on a horticultural producer's business and it may be concerned with agriculture, also. According to the strict terms of the Bill, such a concern might be ruled out of the scope of the grants.
The purpose of the Amendment is to make it possible to divide what is eligible from what is not and give a grant on the basis of what is eligible. It is, therefore, a matter of being able to split the cost. That is all we seek to do. I apologise if the Amendment seems rather complicated, but I think that it will commend itself to the Committee.
§ Mr. Frederick Peart (Workington)I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for this Amendment. The point was pressed by my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Mr. Morris), who, unfortunately, cannot be here today. We are very grateful to the Minister for looking at it again.
I agree that, in a case where there can be, as it were, a split in what is needed by a body wishing to apply for a grant, this Amendment will meet the purpose. For those reasons, and so as not to delay the Committee, I say at once, on behalf of the Opposition, that we accept what the hon. Gentleman has said and support the Amendment.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.