HC Deb 29 April 1996 vol 276 cc813-4
Mr. Curry

I beg to move amendment No. 68, in page 4, line 22, after 'Corporation' insert

'—

  1. (a) not to register it as a social landlord, or
  2. (b)''.

Madam Deputy Speaker

With this, it will be convenient to discuss also Government amendments Nos. 69 and 70.

Mr. Curry

Clause 5 permits an organisation to appeal to the High Court against a decision by the corporation to remove it or not to remove it from the register of social landlords. The amendments extend that right of appeal to cases in which an application for registration has been refused by the corporation.

Amendment No. 68 amends clause 5(1) to include the extended right of appeal.

Amendments Nos. 69 and 70 are technical: they amend subsections (2) and (3) of clause 5 respectively to ensure that their meaning is not inadvertently changed following the introduction of amendment No. 68.

Clause 5 provides a right to appeal to the High Court, where a registered social landlord is aggrieved at a decision to remove it, or refuse to remove it, from the register of social landlords. The amendments extend that right of appeal where an organisation is aggrieved at a decision not to include it on the register. The amendments reflect the commitment given in Committee.

6.30 pm
Mrs. Maddock

I support the Government's amendments, as they are identical, in all but phrasing, to those that I moved in Committee. I assure those hon. Members who were not present for the Committee's deliberations that we had very interesting and mostly amicable and sensible discussions. However, we never knew what the Government's response would be. The Minister often said that he agreed with us in principle, and that perhaps he would have the provisions in question rewritten. Occasionally, he shocked us—the first time it happened, I almost fell off my chair—and accepted an amendment as written.

The Minister agreed to consider these matters and to return to discuss them with hon. Members. I am very pleased that he has done so. The amendment gives a body that has been refused registration as a social landlord the right to appeal to the High Court. The Bill confers the same right on any body that is threatened with removal from the register. I am pleased that the Minister has introduced the measure, which has my whole-hearted support.

Mr. Curry

I merely wish to remark that the spectacle of the hon. Lady threatening to fall off her chair was so distressing that I sought to limit to the absolute minimum the number of future occasions upon which I would agree with her amendments, so as to ensure that she did not suffer any irreparable damage. As she has said, I undertook to consider the spirit of the amendments proposed in Committee and to reintroduce them in a form that was consistent with the phraseology and the purpose of the Bill. I hope that the group of amendments achieves that aim.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendments made: No. 69, in page 4, line 25, after `brought' insert 'against a decision relating to the removal of a body from the register'. No. 70, in page 4, line 28, after 'brought' insert 'against a decision relating to the removal of a body from the register'.—[Mr. Curry.]

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