HC Deb 01 November 1965 vol 718 cc594-6
12. Mr. Murton

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources if he will state his reasons for exempting Crown interests in land from payment of the development levy.

Mr. Willey

The levy would be in effect a payment by the Exchequer to itself, and the extra work would not be justified.

Mr. Murton

Is it not a fact that Crown properties do in fact pay a form of rate?

Mr. Willey

That is another question.

13. Mr. Allason

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources after what period of time the rate of levy on development value described in Command Paper No. 2771 will be raised from 40 per cent. to 45 per cent., and to 50 per cent.; and what figure he proposes to fix as a maximum.

Mr. Willey

Decisions on all these questions will be taken at the appropriate time, in the circumstances then prevailing.

Mr. Allason

When "the appropriate time" comes, will the Minister consider the difficulty which will occur if these periods are too close together? For example, suppose a man is asked to treat and decides that he would prefer compulsory purchase procedure to take place. That usually takes a considerable time. What would happen supposing the intervals were put too close together and thereby a man was penalised because he exercised his democratic rights of going to compulsory purchase?

Mr. Speaker

That supplementary question was too long.

Mr. Willey

As the White Paper says, they will be reasonably short intervals.

16. Mr. Costain

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources under what circumstances developers owning land with planning permission for purposes other than housing on 22nd September, 1965, or being under a contract to purchase on that date, will be liable to pay a levy.

Mr. Willey

Where, after the appointed day, the developer starts development, or disposes of the land without doing so, and the value when he starts, or the price which he receives, exceeds what he paid for the land.

Mr. Costain

Will the Minister explain how he is to allocate these various funds? How does he propose to separate, for instance, the question of value of land for shops and for houses?

Mr. Willey

I should have thought that what I have said was quite plain to the hon. Member.