THE EARL OF ONSLOWMy Lords, I rise to ask whether His Majesty's Government will lay on the Table of the House the form of the Treasury Minute promised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to relieve county councils of half the amount of any loss incurred in the carrying out of a scheme by a county council under the Small Holdings Bill when passed into law; and where a county council is over-ruled on a matter of discretion by the Commissioners under the Board of Agriculture, the whole of such loss. I should also be glad if the noble Earl could add information as to what will take place in the event of a parish council creating allotments and making a loss upon them; in that case, will any assistance be forthcoming from the Treasury?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES (Earl CARRINGTON)My Lords, we shall certainly lay on the Table of the House the Treasury Minute which is to be issued with regard to the recoverable losses incurred by county councils in connection with schemes carried out by those councils under the English Small Holdings Bill when it becomes law, but its terms will require careful consideration, and it will not be possible to issue it before the end of the session. The Minute will not deal with those cases in which the Board act in default of a county council. Those cases will fall to be dealt with on their merits by the Board and the Treasury under Subsection (3) of Clause 5 of the Bill, which gives the Treasury power to pay the whole or any part of the loss. No pledge, however, has been given, or can be given, on behalf of the Government that in those cases the whole loss will necessarily be made good out of public funds.
§ LORD BELPERMy Lords, in consequence of the answer which has been 22 given by my noble friend the President of the Board of Agriculture, I should like to make some remarks, but I think it more convenient to postpone them until the Second Reading of the Bill, when I hope to have an opportunity of referring to the financial question.