HOUSING ACCOMMODATION, AND BUSINESS AND OTHER PREMISES (Hansard, 9 July 1968)

§ Mr. MacColl

I beg to move Amendment No. 21, in line 18, at end insert: (b) against any person occupying any such accommodation, premises or other land, by deliberately treating him differently from other such occupiers in the like circumstances; or The Amendment arose from a discussion in Committee in which my hon. Friend the Member for Barons Court (Mr. Richard) in particular made the point that it was not enough to deal with the actual disposal of an interest in a house, but that the Clause should also apply to any consequential management which might take place after letting. He said that it might be possible for a landlord to make more severe terms for the payment of rent to try to make life unpleasant for the immigrant, and that that should be covered.

I said in reply that I thought that most of the matters which would arise would come under either harassment or unlawful eviction and that probably it would not be necessary to include them, but I also said, correcting myself, that as the object of the Bill was to have a conciliation rather than criminal proceedings, it might be appropriate to do something about it.

The Amendment would deal with cases coming under the Rent Act, but would also deal with the kind of case to which my hon. Friend referred, which would not quite come under the Act, cases like discrimination in the terms of the rent, its payment and so on. I think that the Amendment will be a help to tenants.