§ 8.45 p.m.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI beg to move Amendment No. 9, in page 8, line 13, at end insert:
'and notification thereof made to every ratepayer directly affected thereby'.This matter was discussed in Committee because one of the most important aspects of planning is how to ensure that those who are to be affected are informed in time of what is happening and, where relevant, have the opportunity of making representations or expressing their views.The Government have outlined the difficulties, which we recognise, of enabling thousands of persons who might think themeslves affected by certain proposals to get copies of a complicated document which in itself might be expensive. Here we simply suggest that, at the end of the Clause, it should be made clear that notification should be made to every ratepayer directly affected and that this notification can be in a simple form, not requiring an expensive brochure or plan or anything of that kind.
In Committee, the Minister viewed sympathetically a proposal on these lines and we hope that the wording we now suggest will meet those sympathetic noises. One of my hon. Friends then suggested that a postcard or something of that nature would be enough to alert those concerned to what was happening.
I hope that the hon. Gentleman will be able to tell us more about his thinking on the matter, even if he is unable to 1566 accept the Amendment. He knows that it will remain a subject of anxiety where-ever these new planning procedures are to be put into effect. There will be anxiety amongst those who feel that they may not hear in time to be able to do anything about it.
§ Dr. Dickson MabonI still share the view that this is an important matter and that it is right to deal with it in a proper way. In our earlier discussions, there was some exaggerated views of what was being asked and I realise that, with this Amendment, the Opposition have gone a long way to improve on the Amendment moved in Committee which I could not accept. I suggested in Committee that we should look at the Amendment then not only on the wider issue of its being so expensive and ill-defined, but also in the context of the importance of Clause 13 and the regulations to be made under it. I point out again that the report of the Skeffington Committee will guide us in formulating these regulations.
Amendment No. 9 is better phrased than that moved in Committee, but I would point out, in a friendly way, that it is still very difficult to identify the ratepayers directly affected. It could be argued that they would be those living in the area covered by the plan, and that seems simple enough. But it could also mean ratepayers owning property within that area and these are by no means easy to identify.
Ratepayers just outside the area might also be involved. As you know, Mr. Deputy Speaker, even living in the shadow of an urban motorway is of some concern to some ratepayers. It could also be argued that a ratepayer directly affected could be a person who, although he did not actually live in the area, was dependent on it for his job and for services and that the proposals might upset that. It is difficult to be sure who would be affected.
May I point out to the hon. and learned Member, for his endorsement, I hope, that if we fail to inform someone who could later substantiate a claim of direct interest, it might be argued that the whole process had been invalidated by the omission of a legitimately affected ratepayer.
I appreciate the purpose of the Amendment and I am not unsympathetic to the 1567 view that we have to get this procedure right, but it would not be proper to make the Amendment, because it is inaccurate and could open the way to a serious defect. It is better to go back to Clause 13 and the Skeffington Committee, which hon. Members like so much and whose report, I hope, will commend itself to them and which will guide the Government in making sensible regulations under Clause 13 to meet the purpose which hon. Members opposite have nobly striven to achieve.
§ Mr. WylieThere are times when I wish that we had been discussing the Bill after the publication of this great Skeffington Committee report, for every time we seek to do something, we are told that we have to wait for the Skeffington Report. Again, we have been told about regulations and I think that there is something in the Minister's argument. However, I hope that our repeated attempts to do something on these lines will have impressed on the Government the desirability of doing something.
I recognise the difficulties in all this. However, local authorities never have any difficulty about getting out their rate notices and rarely miss out anyone. I suspect that if they really tried, they could manage this. May I say a word of caution? The Minister should not listen too carefully to what local authorities say about our proposal, because it is just the kind of proposal which they would not encourage, although something on these lines would be desirable.
However the point has been made and I understand that the Government are to consider dealing with this aspect in the regulations to be made under the general empowering provisions of Clause 13, and I am sure that that will meet the object of the Amendment.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.