HC Deb 06 July 1965 vol 715 cc1369-81

Section 6(6) of the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1962 shall be repealed and the following subsection substituted therefor—

(6) If an applicant for a licence under this Act in respect of a mechanically propelled vehicle satisfies the county council that the vehicle is intended to be used on public roads—

  1. (a) only in passing from land in his occupation to other land in his occupation; and
  2. (b) the radius of travel will never exceed six miles from the place where the vehicle is normally kept; or
  3. (c) for distances not exceeding in the aggregate six miles in any calendar week;
then, if authorised so to do by the Minister with the consent of the Treasury, the council may exempt the vehicle from the duty chargeable under this Act in respect of the use of the vehicle on roads.—[Mr. Turton.]

Brought up, and read the First time.

4.28 p.m.

Mr. R. H. Turton (Thirsk and Malton)

I beg to move, That the Clause be read a Second time.

On 20th May, when we were discussing the new charges on vehicle excise licences, I raised the matter of the very high increase, of 700 per cent. since 1960, in the licence charges for agricultural tractors. In my speech I pointed out to the Government that the present exemption limit for agricultural vehicles worked much more harshly on those vehicles than it did on other vehicles because of the seasonal nature of agricultural work. Having pointed that out to the Committee on that occasion, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury invited me to table, in the form of an Amendment, the suggestion I was making for granting an exemption on grounds of radius of travel rather than on grounds of the maximum mileage per week, and that is the object of the Clause. The provision for exemptions is that before one can apply for an exemption from licensing a motor vehicle, one must prove that one uses that vehicle only in going from one part of one's land to another part and, secondly, that in any one week one does not exceed six miles on the road.

Where the vehicle is used for industrial purposes, crossing a road from one part of the factory to another, this exemption in Section 6(6) of the Vehicles (Excise) Act, 1962, works reasonably fairly, but when it deals with agricultural vehicles it is working unfairly. Although the vehicle frequently is not used on the road at all for many months of the year, during the hay and corn harvesting operations it is used more frequently on the roads than is permitted by the maximum of six miles in one week.

May I give an illustration? During the harvesting period the combines frequently have to travel down the road from the farmhouse to a field on the opposite side of the road. Although their total mileage in any one year is very small, the exemption limit of six miles in any one week is exceeded by those combine harvesters. Secondly, in many areas of the country there is great severance of agricultural land because of the creation of new roads or the improvement of old roads. As a result of this, farmers who have suffered severance frequently find that at harvest times or at ploughing times they have to use tractors and other vehicles on the roads for more than six miles in any one week.

My third illustration applies particularly to the upland and moorland areas. In times of hard weather, upland farmers have to take fodder out to cattle and sheep on the hills. During that period of hard weather they have to cover more than six miles in any one week.

The test is to see how these provisions operate for agricultural vehicles. At present, fewer than one-tenth of the total number of agricultural tractors on farms are eligible for the farmer to apply for exemption under the six-mile limit. But it is clear that a much higher proportion of agricultural tractors are, in fact, used only on the farms and to no appreciable extent on the roads.

I mentioned this point in Committee. The Financial Secretary to the Treasury said that although there might be something in it, he thought that it would be hard to supervise or to police. May I suggest to him that the radius limit is far easier to police than the limit of a maximum of six miles in any one week. Those who were trying to police my proposal would know at once whether a vehicle was more than six miles away from its base. If it were more than six miles from the base, then an offence would have been committed and a vehicle licence would be required. At present, we must trust to the honesty of the vehicle owner to state whether he exceeds a maximum of six miles on the road in any one week.

That would be difficult to supervise, one would have to take the number of journeys for each week, count them up and see whether the six-mile limit had been exceeded. In view of the very heavy increase in the vehicle excise licence, it is important that we should have a cast-iron system of exemption. We should not have a system under which people try to exempt themselves from licensing and frequently go the wrong side of the law.

That is why I submit to the Government that this system of a radius limit, which I put in the form of an alternative to the present provisions, is the right way of doing it. I hope that the Government will consider it sympathetically, because it will help, in particular, the small farmers far more than the larger farmers, and especially the small farmers on marginal land and in upland areas. Those farmers are not having an easy time this year. If the Government accepted the Clause it would be of great benefit to them.

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Niall MacDermot)

It was, I think, Swift who said that he was the true benefactor of mankind who made two blades of grass grow where only one grew before. I have discovered a way to make two suggestions for concession grow where only one suggestion grew before—and that is to grant the first. The right hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton) said that I had invited him to put down a new Clause in these terms. I do not recall doing that, but I recall undertaking to look very carefully into the possibility of granting such concessions as we felt able to grant in the form of a radius exemption.

As hon. Members know, on the Notice Paper there are a number of concessions in the name of my right hon. Friend which would affect farmers' vehicles. We looked carefully into the radius question, as I undertook to do, but we did not find a workable solution in that direction. After our debate in Committee I received a delegation from the National Farmers' Union. I found it a particularly helpful meeting, and I was considerably influenced by what members of the delegation said in the Amendments which have been drafted. We discussed this question of the radius. I want to be careful in what I say so as not to attribute anything to them which they would not accept; but I think that they understood and recognised the difficulties of radius exemption, I certainly formed the impression that this was not one which they were putting in the front of their priorities to impress on the Government.

Mr. Turton

I think that the hon. and learned Member has misunderstood the position of the National Farmers' Union. I have a letter from the union about this, and it does not convey the same impression.

Mr. MacDermot

I agree that it is a matter very much of impression. I was trying to be careful, and I was not suggesting that the union would not like the radius concession to be made. Of course it would.

The reasons why we must advise the House to reject the new Clause are, first, a matter to which the right hon. Gentleman alluded—the severe policing difficulties; secondly, that it would lead to a significant loss of revenue; and, thirdly, that it would lead to pressure for further extensions, in particular by abolishing the requirement that the vehicle should be passing from one piece of land in the owner's occupation to another.

I shall seek to explain why. The case for the extension from the basis of the present exemption—six miles in any week—is intended to apply only to vehicles which are not in any normal sense used on public roads. It is the case of the industrial vehicle that has to cross the road when factory premises are sited on both sides of the road. It is intended to cover the case where farm buildings straddle a road—and the vehicle may not need necessarily to cross directly over the road but may go at an angle and thereby cover a small stretch of road.

This provision is an easy one to police, not only because of the honesty of the taxpayer, but because, obviously, this is something well within the knowledge of the local constable. He will know whether or not the particular stretch of road on which he sees a tractor is a short stretch of road leading from one part of the farm to another.

The Clause, if accepted, would widen this concession to any kind of vehicle. Although the radius may be limited, it could operate in total over quite considerable margins over a year. To give an example, imagine a market gardener whose market garden is located a short distance outside the town and within the six-mile radius. Imagine that he has a shop in the town where he sells his produce. That is not a fanciful or unusual circumstance. He may have a van for transporting his market produce to the shop. There is no reason why that vehicle should be exempt from vehicle licence duty.

If this exemption were granted it could also cover a person who had two or more houses or business premises within a six-mile distance of each other. He could use a vehicle regularly in travelling between them. It is obvious from these examples that the difficulty of policing would be of a quite different order from the difficulty in the present six miles a week concession. If we included the use of such a vehicle in town, problems of quite a different order would arise.

By the wording of the Clause in a sense the problem of policing would be overcome because the Clause is loosely worded and has the qualifying feature that the applicant shall satisfy the county council that the vehicle is intended to be used on public roads— I suppose that having satisfied the council of the intention, no offence would be committed thereafter, whatever the use of the vehicle was. Perhaps I have misunderstood that, but whether that is so or not, the policing difficulties would be very substantial.

Mr. Turton

The words used here are exactly the same as those used in Section 6(6) of the Vehicles Excise Act, 1962. If they are wrong here, they are wrong there.

4.45 p.m.

Mr. MacDermot

It may be that some other provision covers a use outside the intention. Be that as it may, the policing difficulties would obviously be real. Not only that, but this would lead to a host of complaints that it was unfair. In the case of the market gardener which I have instanced, his neighbour might also be a market gardener and not have a shop in the town. He might bring his goods to sell in the ordinary market in the town. He would say that it was most unjust that the other man, because he had a shop, should be exempt whereas he, bringing his goods to the market, was not exempt although he was using his vehicle in exactly the same way.

The present exemptions in favour of agricultural vehicles are considerable. They go very far and are very useful. They are, incidentally, also costly to the Exchequer. There is complete exemption for six miles' travel in any one week; and, let it be remembered, this is coupled with the right which unlicensed agricultural vehicles have to use rebated oil with a duty of only 2d. a gallon. There is the very low rate of £3 15s. a year for tractors and other agricultural machines. The revenue involved here is about £1½ million a year. We are advised that virtually the whole of that would be lost if the new Clause were accepted: In addition, tractors so licensed can be used for hauling farm produce within a 15-mile radius without any extra trailer duty, and similarly for hauling threshing plants or other farm implements or fuel or water for agricultural purposes. These are additional to the lower rates of duty for farmers' goods vehicles.

Under the Government Amendments on the Notice Paper, into which it would be out of order to go in detail, farmers are now to benefit still further by a still more preferential rate. We have lowered the rate of increase for farmers' goods vehicles, including dual purpose vehicles and including a concession in the rate for trailer duty. The total cost of these new concessions for farmers alone will be about £300,000 a year.

I suggest that we have been very generous in our treatment of farmers and that for the reasons I have given it would be right to reject this new Clause.

Mr. James Scott-Hopkins (Cornwall, North)

I am sorry that, once again, the Financial Secretary has given a very disappointing reply to the powerful case made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton). It seems that the Financial Secretary accepts the logic of the case that there is a necessity to do something for farmers. We have been all over this argument before and discussed how they are controlled and that there is a necessity for special concessions for farmers.

As my right hon. Friend pointed out, actual wording of this Clause follows exactly that of the 1962 consolidation Act. The only difference here is that the Financial Secretary based his case on the difficulty of policing the provision. The existing provision of the six-mile check is extremely difficult to police. The Financial Secretary said that the local policeman would know whether the vehicle was more than six miles from the farm. Of course he would, but the vehicle at present would have to go about three-quarters of a mile four times a week in order to be beyond the exemption. This frequently happens, not because farmers are dishonest but because often they have to go more than three-quarters of a mile from one part of the farm to another when farms have been fragmented as they have been in the South-West and elsewhere. The existing regulations are already difficult to police.

The other point made by the Financial Secretary was about unfairness and the difficulty about a vehicle going into a town, but that can happen now. If the town is within the six-mile radius the vehicle can go in and the policeman can keep a check on it. Farmers are honest and do not willingly cheat. I think the Financial Secretary is making a mountain out of a molehill. By accepting this addition of a radius revision he would be reasonable and fair. He said that it would cost £1½ million. After the troubles farmers have suffered under this Government and the difficulties caused by the Price Review, this would be a small compensation for hardships which farmers have suffered and are suffering.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is shaking his head but, what I am saying is true. All the logic suggests that the policing of such a provision would be easier and it would be more fair between one operator and another, between one farmer and another and between one horticulturist and another. I hope that what has been said by my right hon. Friend will have persuaded hon. Members. Unless the Government—having been given time for second thoughts—give a more hopeful answer, I hope that my hon. Friends will carry this matter into the Division Lobby.

Mr. Timothy Kitson (Richmond, Yorks)

I would like to support my right hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton). When we hear the Financial Secretary talking about pulling threshing machines about this shows how far out of date this legislation is. Threshing machines nowadays are in museums. If a farm applies for the exemption there is the expense of sending a man out to measure up the journeys that the farmer intends to make with his tractor. Then the farmer is sent a form which tells him from which fields he can move and on how many occasions during the week. He has then to give this to the man who drives the tractor, and by the end of the day it is very difficult to know what one is allowed to do with one's tractor during the week and what one is not allowed to do.

The Financial Secretary is being unreasonable about this matter. This is a very reasonable and sensible Clause. I do not believe that the majority of village policemen know how many times a farmer has run his tractor up and down the road each week. There is also the question of emergencies to be considered. Very often a man may have made his three journeys between fields and then finds that there is a dead cow in one of them. What does he do? Wait till the next week to remove it? I suggest that the Financial Secretary ought to accept this New Clause. It is extremely reasonable, and by the noises he made during the Committee stage of the Bill we had hoped he would do just that.

Mr. John Farr (Harborough)

I would like to reinforce what my right hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton) has said. The law at present is quite unenforceable and to have a law which is unenforceable can only bring it into contempt. In that part of the country which I represent, southern Leicestershire, and the borders of Northamptonshire, there are very few rural policemen in the northern belt of Northamptonshire. One rural "bobby" on his pedal cycle has between 50 and 75 square miles to police. It is obviously quite impossible for any policemen to tell whether or not a farm vehicle has done more than its six miles in a week.

The Clause is a sensible one, which should be passed, and I would urge the Financial Secretary to reconsider this matter.

Mr. Roderic Bowen (Cardigan)

It seems most stupid if the local police constable is to have to spend a substantial time in trying to see whether the law is being observed in this matter. It also means that the farmers would be placed in the position of having to calculate each week whether or not they were on the right side of the law. They would not actually know whether or not they were on the correct side of the law, and if they developed a casual attitude towards this

it would be a very undesirable state of affairs.

We have heard a great deal, in agricultural debates, about amalgamation and readjustment of the land held by farmers. The trend, at least in my part of Wales, is for a farmer who has a small farm to acquire land in the immediate vicinity, perhaps on the other side of the road, to farm in conjunction with that unit and make better use of his agricultural machinery. It may be that the correct answer is somewhere between what is proposed in the new Clause and what the Financial Secretary has in mind. Clearly what is proposed in the Clause would be a more satisfactory position than what the Financial Secretary envisaged.

Question put, That the Clause be read a Second time:—

The House divided: Ayes 269, Noes 273.

Division No. 233.] AYES [4.55 p.m.
Agnew, Commander Sir Peter Clarke, Brig. Terence (Portsmth, W.) Grant, Anthony
Alison, Michael (Barkston Ash) Cole, Norman Grant-Ferris, R.
Allan, Robert (Paddington, S.) Cooke, Robert Gresham-Cooke, R.
Allason, James (Hemel Hempstead) Cooper, A. E. Griffiths, Eldon (Bury St. Edmunds)
Amery, Rt. Hn. Julian Cooper-Key, Sir Neill Griffiths, Peter (Smethwick)
Anstruther-Gray, Rt. Hn. Sir W. Cordle, John Grimond, Rt. Hn. J.
Astor, John Corfield, F. V. Gurden, Harold
Atkins, Humphrey Costain, A. P. Hall, John (Wycombe)
Awdry, Daniel Courtney, Cdr. Anthony Hall-Davis, A. G. F.
Baker, W. H. K. Craddock, Sir Beresford (Spelthorne) Hamilton, Marquess of (Fermanagh)
Balniel, Lord Crawley, Aidan Hamilton, M. (Salisbury)
Barber, Rt. Hn. Anthony Crosthwaite-Eyre, Col. Sir Oliver Harris, Frederic (Croydon, N. W.)
Barlow, Sir John Cunningham, Sir Knox Harris, Reader (Heston)
Batsford, Brian Currie, G. B. H. Harrison, Brian (Maldon)
Bell, Ronald Dalkeith, Earl of Harvey, Sir Arthur Vere (Macclesf'd)
Bennett, Sir Frederic (Torquay) Dance, James Harvey, John (Walthamstow, E.)
Berkeley, Humphry Davies, Dr. Wyndham (Perry Barr) Harvie Anderson, Miss
Berry, Hn. Anthony d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, Sir Henry Hastings, Stephen
Biggs-Davison, John Dean, Paul Hawkins, Paul
Birch, Rt. Hn. Nigel Digby, Simon Wingfield Hay, John
Black, Sir Cyril Dodds-Parker, Douglas Heath, Rt. Hn. Edward
Blaker, Peter Doughty, Charles Hendry, Forbes
Bossom, Hn. Clive Douglas-Home, Rt. Hn. Sir Alec Higgins, Terence L.
Bowen, Roderic (Cardigan) Drayson, G. B. Hill, J. E. B. (S. Norfolk)
Box, Donald du Cann, Rt. Hn. Edward Hirst, Geoffrey
Boyd-Carpenter, Rt. Hn. J. Eden, Sir John Hobson, Rt. Hn. Sir John
Braine, Bernard Elliot, Capt. Walter (Carshalton) Hooson, H. E.
Brewis, John Elliott, R. W. (N'c'tle-upon-Tyne, N.) Hopkins, Alan
Brinton, Sir Tatton Emery, Peter Hordern, Peter
Bromley-Davenport, Lt.-Col. Sir Walter Eyre, Reginald Hornby, Richard
Brooke, Rt. Hn. Henry Farr, John Hornsby-Smith, Rt. Hn. Dame P.
Brown, Sir Edward (Bath) Fell, Anthony Howard, Hn. G. R. (St. Ives)
Bruce-Gardyne, J. Fisher, Nigel Hutchison, Michael Clark
Bryan, Paul Fletcher-Cooke, Charles (Darwen) Iremonger, T. L.
Buchanan-Smith, Alick Fletcher-Cooke, Sir John (S'pton) Irvine, Bryant Godman (Rye)
Bullus, Sir Eric Foster, Sir John Jenkin, Patrick (Woodford)
Burden, F. A. Fraser, Rt. Hn. Hugh (St'fford & Stone) Jennings, J. C.
Butcher, Sir Herbert Gammans, Lady Johnson Smith, G. (East Grinstead)
Buxton, Ronald Gibson-Watt, David Johnston, Russell (Inverness)
Campbell, Gordon Giles, Rear-Admiral Morgan Jones, Arthur (Northants, S.)
Carlisle, Mark Gilmour, Ian (Norfolk, Central) Jopling, Michael
Carr, Rt. Hn. Robert Gilmour, Sir John (East Fife) Joseph, Rt. Hn. Sir Keith
Cary, Sir Robert Glover, Sir Douglas Kaberry, Sir Donald
Channon, H. P. G. Glyn, Sir Richard Kerby, Capt, Henry
Chataway, Christopher Godber, Rt. Hn. J. B. Kerr, Sir Hamilton (Cambridge)
Chichester-Clark, R. Goodhart, Philip Kershaw, Anthony
Clark, Henry (Antrim, N.) Goodhew, Victor Kilfedder, James A.
Clark, William (Nottingham, S.) Gower, Raymond Kimball, Marcus
King, Evelyn (Dorset, S.) Murton, Oscar Speir, Sir Rupert
Kirk, Peter Neave, Alrey Stainton, Keith
Kitson, Timothy Nicholson, Sir Godfrey Stanley, Hn. Richard
Lagden, Godfrey Noble, Rt. Hn. Michael Steel, David (Roxburgh)
Lambton, Viscount Nugent, Rt. Hn. Sir Richard Studholme, Sir Henry
Lancaster, Col. C. G. Onslow, Cranley Talbot, John E.
Langford-Holt, Sir John Orr, Capt. L. P. S. Taylor, Sir Charles (Eastbourne)
Legge-Bourke, Sir Harry Orr-Ewing, Sir Ian Taylor, Edward M. (G'gow, Cathcart)
Lewis, Kenneth (Rutland) Osborn, John (Hallam) Teeling, Sir William
Litchfield, Capt. John Osborne, Sir Cyril (Louth) Temple, John M.
Lloyd, Rt. Hn. Geoffrey (Sut'n C'dfield) Page, John (Harrow, W.) Thatcher, Mrs. Margaret
Lloyd, Rt. Hn. Selwyn (Wirral) Page, R. Graham (Crosby) Thomas, Sir Leslie (Canterbury)
Longden, Gilbert Pearson, Sir Frank (Clitheroe) Thompson, Sir Richard (Croydon, S.)
Loveys, Walter H. Peel, John Thorpe, Jeremy
Lubbock, Eric Percival, Ian Tiley, Arthur (Bradford, W.)
Lucas, Sir Jocelyn Peyton, John Tilney, John (Wavertree)
McAdden, Sir Stephen Pickthorn, Rt. Hn. Sir Kenneth Turton, Rt. Hn. R. H.
MacArthur, Ian Pike, Miss Mervyn Tweedsmuir, Lady
Mackenzie, Alasdair (Ross & Crom'ty) Pitt, Dame Edith van Straubenzee, W. R.
Mackie, George Y. (C'ness & S'land) Pounder, Rafton Vaughan-Morgan, Rt. Hn. Sir John
McLaren, Martin Powell, Rt. Hn. J. Enoch Vickers, Dame Joan
Maclean, Sir Fitzroy Price, David (Eastleigh) Walder, David (High Peak)
Macleod, Rt. Hn. Iain Prior, J. M. L. Walker, Peter (Worcester)
McMaster, Stanley Pym, Francis Wall, Patrick
McNair-Wilson, Patrick Quennell, Miss J. M. Walters, Dennis
Maginnis, John E. Ramsden, Rt. Hn. James Ward, Dame Irene
Maltland, Sir John Rawlinson, Rt. Hn. Sir Peter Weatherill, Bernard
Marten, Neil Redmayne, Rt. Hn. Sir Martin Webster, David
Mathew, Robert Rees-Davies, W. R. Wells, John (Maidstone)
Maude, Angus Renton, Rt. Hn. Sir David Whitelaw, William
Maudling, Rt. Hn. Reginald Ridley, Hn. Nicholas Williams, Sir Rolf Dudley (Exeter)
Mawby, Ray Ridsdale, Julian Wills, Sir Gerald (Bridgwater)
Maxwell-Hyslop, R. J. Roberts, Sir Peter (Heeley) Wilson, Geoffrey (Truro)
Maydon, Lt.-Cmdr. S. L. C. Rodgers, Sir John (Sevenoaks) Wise, A. R.
Meyer, Sir Anthony Roots, William Wolrige-Gordon, Patrick
Mills, Peter (Torrington) St. John-Stevas, Norman Woodhouse, Hon. Christopher
Mills, Stratton (Belfast, N.) Sandys, Rt. Hn. D. Woodnutt, Mark
Miscampbell, Norman Scott-Hopkins, James Yates, William (The Wrekin)
Mitchell, David Sharples, Richard Younger, Hn. George
Monro, Hector Shepherd, William
Morrison, Charles (Devizes) Sinclair, Sir George TELLERS FOR THE AYES:
Mott-Radclyffe, Sir Charles Smyth, Rt. Hn. Brig. Sir John Mr. More and Mr. Dudley Smith.
Munro-Lucas-Tooth, Sir Hugh Spearman, Sir Alexander
NOES
Abse, Leo Crawshaw, Richard Freeson, Reginald
Albu, Austen Crosland, Anthony Galpern, Sir Myer
Allaun, Frank (Salford, E.) Crossman, Rt. Hn. R. H. S. Garrett, W. E.
Alldritt, Walter Cullen, Mrs. Alice George, Lady Megan Lloyd
Atkinson, Norman Dalyell, Tam Ginsburg, David
Bacon, Miss Alice Darling, George Gregory, Arnold
Bagier, Gordon A. T. Davies, S. O. (Merthyr) Grey, Charles
Barnett, Joel de Freitas, Sir Geoffrey Griffiths, David (Rother Valley)
Baxter, William Delargy, Hugh Griffiths, Rt. Hn. James (Llanelly)
Bence, Cyril Dell, Edmund Griffiths, Will (M'chester, Exchange)
Benn, Rt. Hn. Anthony Wedgwood Dempsey, James Hale, Leslie
Bennett, J. (Glasgow, Bridgeton) Diamond, Rt. Hn. John Hamilton, James (Bothwell)
Binns, John Dodds, Norman Hamilton, William (West Fife)
Bishop, E. S. Doig, Peter Hamling, William (Woolwich, W.)
Blackburn, F. Driberg, Tom Hannan, William
Blenkinsop, Arthur Duffy, Dr. A. E. P. Harper, Joseph
Boardman, H. Dunn, James A. Harrison, Walter (Wakefield)
Boston, T. G. Dunnett, Jack Hart, Mrs. Judith
Bottomley, Rt. Hn. Arthur Edelman, Maurice Hazell, Bert
Bowden, Rt. Hn. H. W. (Leics S. W.) Edwards, Robert (Bilston) Heffer, Eric S.
Braddock, Mrs. E. M. English, Michael Henderson, Rt. Hn. Arthur
Bradley, Tom Ennals, David Herbison, Rt. Hn. Margaret
Bray, Dr. Jeremy Ensor, David Hobden, Dennis (Brighton, K'town.)
Broughton, Dr. A. D. D. Evans, Albert (Islington, S. W.) Holman, Percy
Brown, Hugh D. (Glasgow, Provan) Evans, Ioan (Birmingham, Yardley) Horner, John
Buchan, Norman (Renfrewshire, W.) Fernyhough, E. Houghton, Rt. Hn. Douglas
Buchanan, Richard Finch, Harold (Bedwellty) Howarth, Harry (Wellingborough)
Butler, Herbert (Hackney, C.) Fitch, Alan (Wigan) Howarth, Robert L. (Bolton, E.)
Butler, Mrs. Joyce (Wood Green) Fletcher, Sir Eric (Islington, E.) Howell, Denis (Small Health)
Callaghan, Rt. Hn. James Fletcher, Ted (Darlington) Howie, W.
Carmichael, Neil Fletcher, Raymond (Ilkeston) Hoy, James
Castle, Rt. Hn. Barbara Floud, Bernard Hughes, Cledwyn (Anglesey)
Chapman, Donald Foley, Maurice Hughes, Emrys (S. Ayrshire)
Coleman, Donald Foot, Sir Dingle (Ipswich) Hughes, Hector (Aberdeen, N.)
Conlan, Bernard Foot, Michael (Ebbw Vale) Hunter, Adam (Dunfermline)
Corbet, Mrs. Freda Ford, Ben Hunter, A. E. (Feltham)
Craddock, George (Bradford, S.) Fraser, Rt. Hn. Tom (Hamilton) Hynd, H. (Accrington)
Irving, Sydney (Dartford) Morris, John (Aberavon) Silverman, Sydney (Nelson)
Jackson, Colin Mulley, Rt. Hn. Frederick (Sheffield Pk) Skeffington, Arthur
Janner, Sir Barnett Murray, Albert Slater, Mrs. Harriet (Stoke, N.)
Jay, Rt. Hn. Douglas Neal, Harold Slater, Joseph (Sedgefield)
Jeger, George (Goole) Newens, Stan Small, William
Jeger, Mrs. Lena (H'b'n & St. P'cras, S.) Noel-Baker, Francis (Swindon) Snow, Julian
Jenkins, Hugh (Putney) Noel-Baker, Rt. Hn. Phillp (Derby, S.) Soskice, Rt. Hn. Sir Frank
Jenkins, Rt. Hn. Roy (Stechford) Norwood, Christopher Steele, Thomas (Dunbartonshire, W.)
Johnson, Carol (Lewisham, S.) Oakes, Gordon Stewart, Rt. Hn. Michael
Johnson, James (K'ston-on-Hull, W.) Ogden, Eric Stonehouse, John
Jones, Dan (Burnley) O'Malley, Brian Stones, William
Jones, Rt. Hn. Sir Elwyn (W. Ham, S.) Oram, Albert E. (E. Ham, S.) Strauss, Rt. Hn. G. R. (Vauxhall)
Jones, J. Idwal (Wrexham) Orbach, Maurice Stross, Sir Barnett (Stoke-on-Trent, C.)
Jones, T. W. (Merioneth) Orme, Stanley Summerskill, Hn. Dr. Shirley
Kelley, Richard Oswald, Thomas Swain, Thomas
Kenyon, Clifford Owen, Will Swingler, Stephen
Kerr, Mrs. Anne (R'ter & Chatham) Padley, Walter Symonds, J. B.
Kerr, Dr. David (W'worth, Central) Page, Derek (King's Lynn) Taverne, Dick
Lawson, George Paget, R. T. Taylor, Bernard (Mansfield)
Leadbitter, Ted Palmer, Arthur Thomas, George (Cardiff, W.)
Ledger, Ron Pannell, Rt. Hn. Charles Thomas, Iorwerth (Rhondda, W.)
Lee, Miss Jennie (Cannock) Pargiter, G. A. Thomson, George (Dundee, E.)
Lever, Harold (Cheetham) Park, Trevor (Derbyshire, S. E.) Thornton, Ernest
Lever, L. M. (Ardwick) Parker, John Tinn, James
Lewis, Arthur (West Ham, N.) Parkin, B. T. Tomney, Frank
Lewis, Ron (Carlisle) Pavitt, Laurence Tuck, Raphael
Lipton, Marcus Pearson, Arthur (Pontypridd) Urwin, T. W.
Loughlin, Charles Pentland, Norman Varley, Eric G.
Mabon, Dr. J. Dickson Perry, Ernest G. Walden, Brian (All Saints)
McBride, Neil Popplewell, Ernest Walker, Harold (Doncaster)
McCann, J. Prentice, R. E. Wallace, George
MacColl, James Price, J. T. (Westhoughton) Watkins, Tudor
MacDermot, Niall Probert, Arthur Weitzman, David
McGuire, Michael Pursey, Cmdr. Harry Wells, William (Walsall, N.)
McInnes, James Randall, Harry White, Mrs. Eirene
McKay, Mrs. Margaret Rankin, John Whitlock, William
Mackenzie, Gregor (Rutherglen) Redhead, Edward Wigg, Rt. Hn. George
McLeavy, Frank Rees, Merlyn Wilkins, W. A.
Mahon, Peter (Preston, S.) Rhodes, Geoffrey Willey, Rt. Hn. Frederick
Mahon, Simon (Bootle) Roberts, Albert (Normanton) Williams, Alan (Swansea, W.)
Mallalieu, J. P. W. (Huddersfield, E.) Roberts, Goronwy (Caernarvon) Williams, Albert (Abertillery)
Manuel, Archie Robertson, John (Paisley) Williams, Mrs. Shirley (Hitchin)
Mapp, Charles Robinson, Rt. Hn. K. (St. Pancras, N.) Williams, W. T. (Warrington)
Marsh, Richard Rodgers, William (Stockton) Willis, George (Edinburgh, E.)
Mason, Roy Rogers, George (Kensington, N.) Wilson, Rt. Hn. Harold (Huyton)
Maxwell, Robert Rose, Paul B. Wilson, William (Coventry, S.)
Mayhew, Christopher Ross, Rt. Hn. William Winterbottom, R. E.
Mellish, Robert Rowland, Christopher Woodburn, Rt. Hn. A.
Mendelson, J. J. Sheldon, Robert Woof, Robert
Millan, Bruce Shinwell, Rt. Hn. E. Wyatt, Woodrow
Miller, Dr. M. S. Shore, Peter (Stepney) Yates, Victor (Ladywood)
Milne, Edward (Blyth) Short, Rt. Hn. E. (N'c'tle-on-Tyne, C.) Zilliacus, K.
Molloy, William Short, Mrs. Renée (W'hampton, N. E.)
Monslow, Walter Silkin, John (Deptford) TELLERS FOR THE NOES:
Morris, Charles (Openshaw) Silverman, Julius (Aston) Mr. Ifor Davies and Mr. Gourlay.