HC Deb 29 April 1996 vol 276 c824
Mr. Curry

I beg to move amendment No. 27, in page 17, line 3, leave out from 'association' to end of line 4 and insert 'which had such a deficit as is mentioned in that section for any of the years beginning 1st April 1994, 1st April 1995 or 1st April 1996.".

Mr. Deputy Speaker

With this, it will be convenient to discuss also Government amendments Nos. 151 and 28.

Mr. Curry

The amendments give effect to the commitments given in Committee. Amendment No. 27 provides for the period for associations to make applications for revenue deficit grant to be extended to cover associations that incurred a deficit in any of the three years prior to commencement.

Amendment No. 28 excludes from the rent surplus fund stock provided with the aid of grant under section 50 of the Housing Act 1988.

Amendment No. 151 allows the corporation to direct a registered social landlord to use any unrecovered housing association grant paid under earlier legislation for a specific purpose instead of directing repayment to the corporation. A similar power covering grant that will be paid under the Bill is contained in clause 26.

Mr. Raynsford

The amendment gives effect to an undertaking given in Committee to enable a claim for revenue deficit grant to be made by an association that had been receiving such a grant in any one of the three years preceding the commencement of the Act. Those are the words that the Minister used when moving the amendment, and those were the words used in our amendment in Committee. We were told that the words were insufficient and inadequate. The Minister has, therefore, chosen clearly to spell out the specific years in the Bill's phraseology. I am only astonished that, for the sake of consistency, he did not use the same terminology when moving the amendment. We welcome this amendment and we support it.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendments made: No. 151, in page 17, line 4, at end insert— '( ) In section 52(2) of that Act (recovery, &c. of grants: powers of Corporation), in paragraph (c) after "to pay to it" insert ", or to apply or appropriate for such purposes as it may specify, ".'. No. 28, in page 17, line 10, at end insert— '( ) In section 55(1) of that Act (surplus rental income: cases in which section applies), omit paragraph (a).'—[Mr. Curry.]

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