§ Not amended (in the Standing Committee), considered. Order for Third Reading read—[Queen's Consent and Prince of Wales's Consent signified.]
11.30 pm§ The Solicitor-General (Sir Patrick Mayhew)I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.
The Bill is short and technical but valuable. It deals with statutes that enable land owners to donate land to be used for schools, churches and other charitable purposes, and contains provisions whereby the land will revert automatically to the owner or his successors once it is no longer used for relevant purpose. Problems have arisen both in tracing the person entitled to the land on reverter and in enabling the land to be put to proper use if the owner cannot be traced.
The Bill solves these problems by giving to those persons holding the land at the time of reverter full power to manage the land and sell it with a good title. If the true owner cannot be traced, the Bill enables the sale proceeds to be returned to charitable use.
This Bill has been widely welcomed as a useful measure of reform. I commend it to the House.
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown (Newcastle upon Tyne, North)The Bill has been widely welcomed. We were able to explore a number of small, technical details in Committee, perfectly satisfactorily. The Bill arises from the work of the Law Commission, and it is right to record our gratitude and thanks to it for the work that it does.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed, without amendment.