HC Deb 24 February 1960 vol 618 c376
Mr. J. Hare

I beg to move, in page 2, line 36, after "payable", to insert: as estimated by the appropriate Minister at the time of approval". This is really little more than a procedural Amendment. The Clause provides that a scheme may specify a minimum amount for expenditure which may qualify for a grant. I explained in Committee that we propose to specify, £100 as the minimum for this purpose As the Bill is now drafted, that minimum must relate to the actual cost of carrying out proposals, but this, of course, we do not know until after the job has been completed.

As the Bill stands, therefore, I might provisionally approve an applicant's proposal on an estimate putting the cost at, let us say, £105, but then, if the actual cost turned out to be £95, I should be obliged to refuse the grant altogether. I do not think that that would be fair, and I am sure that all hon. Members will take the same view.

The Amendment is designed to relate the minimum limit to the cost as estimated at the time of approval. This will mean that, once an applicant has had his proposals accepted and approved, he can be sure he will receive the grant at the rate of one-third, provided, of course, that he carries out the work satisfactorily. I hope that the Committee will agree that this is a sensible Amendment.

Mr. Peart

We should like to thank the Minister for accepting our proposal. The Minister, as in Committee, has proved very flexible. Here is a case where the small producer might well be in difficulties if he found that the costs which he estimated originally were lower and, therefore, would not qualify for the grant, which we all wish to give him if he can show need for it. We are glad that the Minister has considered the matter again and we accept the Amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.