HC Deb 23 January 1974 vol 867 cc1683-4
Mr. Graham Page

I beg to move Amendment No. 1, in page 4, line 22, at beginning insert 'Except as provided by subsection (3A) below.'

Mr. Deputy Speaker

With this amendment, it will also be convenient to take Government Amendments Nos. 2 and 3.

Mr. Page

These amendments follow the undertaking I gave in Committee to consider introducing an amendment to enable the Secretary of State to provide in regulations for a proportion of the needs element otherwise payable to a non-metropolitan county to be paid instead to a non-metropolitan district. This does not indicate any intention of making any such regulation at present, but it is right to give the Secretary of State that power so that it may be considered as a possibility at some future date.

Mr. Oakes

I welcome these amendments introduced by the Government, as the Minister said, in accordance with undertakings given in Committee. We accept that it will be exceptional for a part of the grant to be given direct to the non-metropolitan district and not to the county council. It was to meet exceptional circumstances that in Committee we asked for the power at least to be given because the Government had no power previously in this respect. I appreciate that in the main this will go to the non-metropolitan county, but there could be circumstances where the Government could consider giving part of the grant to the district council.

Amendment No. 3 is most welcome. The Bill said that the Government could deprive a metropolitan district council of its needs element if the resources of the county as a whole were greater than the national average. Obviously this would have borne badly on many metropolitan district councils which happened to be poor islands in comparatively rich metropolitan counties.

The fact that Amendment No. 3 appears on the Amendment Paper in the names of Government and Opposition Front Bench Members is rare indeed. This arose not because we added our names to the Government names on the amendment, but because, on the same day, we submitted the same amendment to remedy the same evil. This is the precise amendment which I sought to move in Committee when the Government, quite understandably, were fearful that the parliamentary draftsman might be able to word the amendment more felicitously. However, we were right the first time. It is sometimes a good thing that hon. Members can assert their independence and get an amendment right in such a way that both sides of the House come to the same form of words independently. All this unanimity makes the amendment highly desirable, and I welcome it, along with the others.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendments made: No. 2, in page 4, line 34, at end insert: '(3A) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide that such proportion as may be determined by or under the regulations of the amount which, apart from the regulations, would be payable in respect of the needs element for any year to the council of a non-metropolitan county shall, in such cases as may be determined in accordance with the regulations, be payable instead to the councils of districts situated in the county ; and any such regulations may make different provision in relation to different councils.'. No. 3, in page 4, line 37 leave out from 'Council' to end of line 2 on page 5.—[Mr. Graham Page.]

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