§ 20. Mr. Allasonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the additional cost of the transfer of Covent Garden Market to Nine Elms resulting from the Land Commission levy.
§ Mr. HoyAny levy payable by the Covent Garden Market Authority on the disposal of its existing properties will depend on the price obtained for them, which I am not prepared to estimate. The Authority is unlikely to be liable for 1699 levy at Nine Elms unless there is a long delay between land acquisition and the start of building operations. The new market is justifiable on its own merits irrespective of any sums that may be available to the Authority from the disposal of its Covent Garden properties.
§ Mr. AllasonWas the Minister consulted about the wording of the agriculture exemptions from the Land Commission levy, which seem to be extremely complex and not to allow for cases such as the Nine Elms site which, although necessary for agriculture, is not agricultural land?
§ Mr. HoyOf course, we were consulted about these decisions. If the hon. Gentleman is trying to equate this with facilities provided by local authorities, the two are not parallel.