HC Deb 23 April 1991 vol 189 cc1039-40

Amendment made:No. 24, in page 30, line 28, leave out `Port Authority or the company (as the case may be)' and insert 'company;'.—[Mr. McLoughlin.]

Mr. Spearing

I beg to move amendment No. 72, in page 17, line 33, leave out subsection (4).

Mr. Deputy Speaker

With this it will be convenient to take amendment No. 71, in page 17, line 34, after `property', insert `owned by the Port Authority which is wholly and exclusively devoted to purposes relating to the operation of the said port of Tilbury'.

Mr. Spearing

Amendment No. 71 relates to the deletion of clause 20(4), which states: The granting by the scheme to the company of a lease of any property shall be regarded for the purposes of—

  1. (a) section 19 above and this section; and
  2. (b) Schedule 2 below;
as a transfer of that property to the company by the scheme. I would like the Minister to tell us why the clause is there and why he would reject my amendment No. 71 which adds exclusively devoted to purposes relating to the … port of Tilbury. He does not say that it is a 500-year lease. As I understand it, this is not a measure of leasehold reform. Otherwise, the transfer of leased property would encourage the company to enter into a lease and to transfer leasehold property to freehold by a statute that appears to be transferring property—public property at that—at controversial compensation.

This is a brief probing amendment. I hope that the Minister will tell us why the provision is there, how it will be used, and why it should not be restricted soley to the functions of the so-called port of Tilbury.

Mr. McLoughlin

I fear that the amendments could result in the transfer of some of the property to the new Tilbury company not being handled in the most sensible way. I see nothing objectionable in the property being leased to the new company and it seems to be quite wrong to exclude the leasing of property that is not exclusively used in connection with the operation of the port of Tilbury. That is the reason why we cannot accept the amendments and I hope that the explanation that I have given is sufficient.

Mr. Spearing

I think that the Minister's explanation is comprehensive and efficient, but again perhaps this is a matter that might be probed at greater leisure in a more appropriate place. Therefore, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

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