33. Sir B. Bannerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, in view of the anxiety about the continuing possibility of decontrol of dwelling houses in general, and those which are partly used for business purposes, what proposals Her Majesty's Government now have to remedy the position; and if he will make a statement.
§ 36. Mr. M. Stewartasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what use he proposes to make of his power to make orders under Section II (3) of the Rent Act. 1957.
§ Mr. BrookeAs has been frequently stated, the Government will take no further action to decontrol rents during this Parliament. They do not intend to disturb the protection available to tenants of mixed residential and business 1179 premises under the Landlord and Tenant Act, 1954, nor to interfere with the working of the decontrol provisions of the Rent Act, 1957.
§ Sir B. JannerIs the right hon. Gentleman aware of the fact that it is a very unsatisfactory situation he is talking about now? People thought when he made his statement recently that he was going to take some steps towards preventing the cancer of decontrol at present. What in faot he is saying at present is quite useless from the point of view of those who have the constant fear of being turned out of their shelter. Will he be good enough to say he will have second thoughts about this?
§ Mr. BrookeNo. I have nothing to add to the statement I have made in answer to these Questions.
§ Mr. StewartIs the Minister aware that he was reported in the Daily Telegraph, which is usually favourable to Ministers, as having said that he had advised the Prime Minister that the Government could not undertake further measures of rent decontrol in the present Session of Parliament—that is a very different thing from the lifetime of this Parliament—and as having further said, replying to a question at the same meeting:
Maybe further measures "—that is, measures of decontrol—will be possible, but probably not during my period of office.Is he saying that that report from the Daily Telegraph is untrue, because it is very different from what has been said elsewhere about Government policy?
§ Mr. BrookeI have so much respect for the way the reporters do their work that I always hesitate to suggest that I have been misreported, but I really cannot think I made a slip of the tongue on such an important matter as this.
§ Mr. StewartThere are two slips of the tongue here, one in the main speech and one in the reply to a later question. What was happening to the Minister's tongue on this occasion? Was it being governed not by his head but by his real desires in this matter?
§ Mr. BrookeThe Minister's tongue was speaking the truth as usual. The position is that the Government stand firmly 1180 by the pledge which was contained in the manifesto at the last election, that no further action to decontrol property will be taken in the life of this Parliament. What will happen after this Parliament I cannot forecast.
Mr. J. T. PriceWill the right hon. Gentleman take the opportunity presented by this Question to clear up another very important anxiety which hangs over many people at the present time? He and I and a few other Members have this morning just completed our sittings in Standing Committee on the Rating and Valuation Bill. It is widely believed throughout the country that once the new valuation lists appear in 1963, as rateable values go up, control will be lifted automatically and that even the houses with the limits of £30 in the provinces and £40 in London and which receive the higher rating under the new valuations—[HON. MEMBERS: "No."]—will fall out of control. Can the Minister make it quite clear that that is not his intention, because it is widely believed to be his intention?
§ Mr. BrookeI made quite clear in my speech on Second Reading of that Bill that the Bill had no effect whatever on control or decontrol. If the hon. Member did not clearly understand then, I am quite prepared to repeat it to him now.