HL Deb 25 July 1923 vol 54 cc1406-9

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Earl of Onslow.)

LORD PENTLAND

My Lords, will you allow me to correct the figure I gave during a discussion on this subject? The Agricultural Rating Bill of 1896, as your Lordships are aware, imposed a burden on every ratepayer. That burden has increased since 1896, and the fixed grant which was calculated on the Act of 1896 has not been sufficient to meet the deficiency. I stated that the deficiency for England and Wales was £7,500,000. I found it very difficult to ascertain what the real deficiency was; therefore, your Lordships will perhaps pardon my inaccuracy. I now find that the deficiency was something like £5,000,000, minus, of course, the grant which was fixed in 1896, which amounts to £1,300,000, leaving the deficiency of £3,700,000 to be made up by the general body of ratepayers. For Scotland, as the noble Viscount the Secretary for Scotland is aware, the deficiency is much less, but still proportionate, £700,000 a year. The Treasury Grant fixed in 1896 was £180,000, leaving about £520,000 to be made up by the general body of ratepayers to cover the deficiency. I thank your Lordships for allowing me to make that statement.

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly:

[THE EARL OF DONOUGHMORE in the Chair.]

Clause 1:

Further exemption of agricultural land in England from rates.

(2) Where under any local Act passed, or any Provisional Order confirmed by Parliament before the end of the present Session of Parliament, a rate to which the principal Act applied has become consolidated with a rate to which that Act did not apply, Section one of that Act as amended by this section shall apply to the consolidated rate notwithstanding any provision contained in that Act or Order with respect to the proportion in which occupiers of agricultural land are to be liable to be assessed to or to pay that rate.

THE EARL OF ONSLOW

I beg to move the Amendments to subsection (2) which stand in my name.

Amendments moved— Page 2, line 2, after. ("Parliament") insert ("at any time") Page 2, line 4, leave out ("become") and insert ("before the passing of this Act become or thereafter becomes").—(The Earl of Onslow.)

On Question, Amendments agreed to.

Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 2, 3 and 4 agreed to.

Clause 5:

Instruction to arbitrator in fixing rents under s. 12 of Agricultural Holdings Act, 1923.

5. Where under Section twelve of the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1923, a demand in writing for an arbitration as to rent to he paid for the holding has been made and has been agreed to, the arbitrator, in determining what rent is properly payable in respect of the holding, shall not take into account any increase in the rental value which is due to the passing of this Act.

THE EARL OF ONSLOW moved to leave out Clause 5 and insert the following new clause:—

Relief not to be taken into account in determining rents under 13 & 14 Geo. 5, c. 9, s. 12.

"5. The relief to occupiers of agricultural land granted by the principal Act as amended by this Act shall not be taken into account by an arbitrator in determining for the purposes of Section twelve of the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1923, what rent is properly payable in respect of a holding."

The noble Earl said: Clause 5 was added to the Bill on the Report Stage in another place, and was accepted by the Government, but it was stated at the time that it might be necessary to amend it in order the better to effect the purpose which it has in view. The Amendments are practically drafting, but they make the clause a little wider than the one which was added on Report Stage in another place. This clause extends the purview of the Bill to the Agricultural Rates Act of 1896 as well as to the present Bill.

Amendment moved— Page 3, leave out Clause 5 and insert the said new clause.—(The Earl of Onslow.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clauses 6 to 13 agreed to.

Clause 14:

Rental value attributable to relief.

14. In determining for the purposes of Section twelve of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1923, what rent is properly payable in respect of a holding, an arbiter Shall not take into account any relief to occupiers of agricultural lands and heritages effected by the Agricultural Rates (Scotland) Acts, 1896 to 1923.

THE EARL OF ONSLOW had an Amendment on the Paper to leave out Clause 14 and insert the following new clause:—

Relief not to be taken into account in fixing rents.

"14. The relief to occupiers of agricultural lands and heritages effected by the Agricultural Rates (Scotland) Acts, 1896 to 1923, shall not be taken into account by the land court in fixing a fair rent for a holding under the Small Landholders (Scotland) Acts, 1836 to 1919, or by an arbiter in determining for the purposes of Section twelve of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1923, what rent is properly payable in respect of a holding."

The noble Earl said: The Amendment which stands in my name is similar to the last Amendment. This clause relates to Scotland and deals with the same question in regard to Scotland as the former one did in regard to this country. It is designed to extend the principle of the relief given by the present Bill, and also to apply to cases where a rent in Scotland is fixed by a landlord, or determined by an arbitrator for the purpose of compensation. I have been asked to move the clause in a slightly different form to that in which it appears on the Paper. I desire to put after the word "fair" ["shall not be taken into account by the land court in fixing a fair rent"] the words "or equitable," so that it shall read "a fair or equitable rent." It is purely drafting, but I desire to move it in that form.

Amendment moved— Page 7, leave out Clause 14 and insert the following new clause:—

Relief not to be taken into account in fixing rents.

("14. The relief to occupiers of agricultural lands and heritages effected by the Agricultural Rates (Scotland) Acts, 1896 to 1923, shall not be taken into account by the land court in fixing a fair or equitable rent for a holding under the Small Landholders (Scotland) Acts, 1386 to 1919, or by an arbiter in determining for the purposes of Section twelve of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1923, what rent is properly payable in respect of a holding.")—(The Earl of Onslow.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clauses 15, 16 and 17 agreed to.

Schedule agreed to.