HC Deb 09 November 1966 vol 735 cc1457-9
Dr. Dickson Mabon

I beg to move Amendment No. 54, in page 28, line 4, to leave out 'supplied' and to insert 'produced'.

Since Amendments Nos. 54, 55, 56 and 57 are all on virtually the same point and are drafting, may we take them together?

Mr. Speaker

If there is no objection.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendments made: No. 55, in line 5, after 'undertaking', insert 'and supplied for use'.

No. 56, in line 23, leave out 'supplied' and insert 'produced'.

No. 57, in line 23, after 'them', insert 'and supplied for use'.—[Dr. Dickson Mabon.]

Dr. Dickson Mabon

I beg to move Amendment No. 58, in page 28, line 37, at the end to insert: 7.—(1) The Assessor shall, in respect of each year of revaluation, determine anew the cumulo rateable value pertaining to each water undertaking and for that purpose shall apply the provisions of paragraph 5 above, so however that for the reference in that paragraph to the year 1967–68 there shall be substituted a reference to the year of revaluation, and for any reference in that paragraph to the year 1965–66 there shall be substituted a reference to the year last but one before the year of revaluation. It is obviously necessary at each year of revaluation to make sure that the assessor of public undertakings redetermines the cumulo rateable value of each water undertaking. The Amendment remedies an omission from the Bill in this respect.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendment made: No. 59, in page 29, line 1, leave out second 'in' and insert 'for'.—[Dr. Dickson Mabon.]

Dr. Dickson Mabon

I beg to move Amendment No. 60, in page 29, line 37, at the end to insert: 12. Where an amalgamation takes place which involves the division of an existing water undertaking into separate parts the cumulo rateable value pertaining to each part shall, for the years referred to in paragraphs 9 to 11 above, be determined in such manner as may be directed by the Secretary of State, and in those paragraphs any reference to a separate undertaking shall be construed as including a reference to the part comprised in the amalgamated undertaking. This Amendment deals with the possibility that existing water undertakings will not be amalgamated as complete units, but that divisions and changes of boundary may take place. In such cases the Amendment leaves it to the Secretary of State to determine how the cumulo rateable value of the former undertakings which are split into parts shall be divided.

Amendment agreed to.

Dr. Dickson Mabon

I beg to move Amendment No. 61, in line 45, to leave out 'succeeding that'.

This is a drafting Amendment.

Mr. G. Campbell

I am not sure that it is a drafting Amendment, because it seems to change the year, from one year to another. Would the hon. Gentleman care to explain the reason for the change?

Dr. Mabon

I had intended to explain the matter later. We want to correct an error relating to the determination of rateable value of amalgamated water undertakings once they have become fully established. I had intended to explain this when we come to Amendments No. 62 and 63.

Amendment agreed to.

Dr. Dickson Mabon

I beg to move, Amendment No. 62, in page 30, line 38, to leave out: 'as respects the previous year'. It might be convenient, Mr. Speaker, if, at the same time, we discussed Amendment No. 63.

Mr. Speaker

If there are no objections, so be it.

Dr. Mabon

These two Amendments ensure that the capital expenditure to be taken into account in determining the apportionment of the rateable value of water undertakings shall be that for the most recent period, while the income from public water rate and so on shall be that for the previous year, as being the last year for which the data will be available.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendment made: No. 63, in page 30, line 44, after 'income', insert 'for the previous year'.—[Dr. Dickson Mabon.]

Dr. Dickson Mabon

I beg to move Amendment No. 64, in page 31, line 38, to leave out from 'undertakings' to the end of line 39.

Paragraph 23 of the Schedule allows the Secretary of State, in the transitional years 1967–68 to 1971–72, to modify the cumulo rateable values of water undertakings. The Bill at present provides for the modification to be done by relation to percentages, but this may not always be appropriate and the Amendment omits these words. I hope that the hon. and learned Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Wylie) will not ask me any further awkward questions about this at any other stage of the Bill.

Amendment made: No. 65, in page 32, leave out lines 20 and 21.—[Dr. Dickson Mabon.]