HL Deb 14 June 1938 vol 109 cc936-8

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

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.(Viscount Gage.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly:

[The EARL OF ONSLOW in the Chair.]

Clauses 1 to 9 agreed to.

Clause 10 [Special provisions as to Scotland]:

LORD SALTOUN moved, after subsection (1), to insert the following new subsection: (2)—(i) In any case in which a local authority within the meaning of Section S (g) of the principal Act has given assistance by way of grant under the Housing (Rural Workers) Acts, 1926 and 1931, to the owner of any house or houses in their district in respect of the reconstruction and improvement of such house or houses, such local authority may advance to such owner such proportion of the balance of the amount or amounts which the local authority are satisfied has or have been expended by the owner upon such reconstruction or improvement over and above the amount of the said grant as may be agreed to by the local authority not exceeding ninety per centum of the said balance. (ii) The advance may be for such period not exceeding twenty years and repayable by an annuity during that period of such amount as may be agreed upon between the local authority and the owner. (iii) The advance shall be secured by a charging order which it shall be competent for the local authority to make in favour of themselves over the farm on which the said house is situated, after notice has been given by the local authority to any person holding bonds or other securities for loans over the estate or farm on which such house is situated, for the amount of the annuity agreed upon and the provisions of Sections twenty-one and twenty-two of the Housing (Scotland) Act of 1925 shall, subject to the necessary modifications, apply to a charging order so made in like manner as they apply to a charging order made in favour of an owner.

The noble Lord said: My noble friend the Marquess of Aberdeen has to be elsewhere to-day and he has asked me to move this Amendment. Your Lordships may remember that in Committee on the Housing (Agricultural Population) (Scotland) Bill an Amendment was moved which the Government opposed on the ground that the parties had not come to an agreement. The parties were, however, much nearer to agreement than the information in the possession of the Government had led them to suppose, and the Amendment was withdrawn in order to give the parties an opportunity of meeting again. I am happy to say that they have met and that an Amendment has been agreed upon. During the negotiations it was objected that the proper place for the Amendment was not in the Housing (Agricultural Population) (Scotland) Bill, but that in order to give it proper scope it should be inserted in the Housing (Rural Workers) Amendment Bill. Now that the parties have come to an agreement it is thought that this is the proper time and place to move the Amendment, and I hope that the Government will see their way to accept it.

Amendment moved— Page 5, line 26, at end insert the said new subsection.—(Lord Saltoun.)

VISCOUNT GAGE

In the absence of my noble friend Lord Strathcona, who usually deals with Scottish matters in your Lordships' House, I can only say that my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has been considering the report of the conference between interested parties to which the noble Lord referred, and that he will inform the noble Lord later of his decision with regard to the suggestion that both this Bill and the Housing (Agricultural Population) (Scotland) Bill should be amended on the lines proposed at the conference. I am not able to-day to announce that decision, and the Government would therefore be very grateful to the noble Lord if he would withdraw his Amendment now on the understanding that the Secretary of State will let him know his decision as soon as possible. It may be possible to let him know this week, but in any case he will be informed in time to allow noble Lords interested to put down an Amendment at the Third Reading stage.

LORD SALTOUN

I am very much obliged to the noble Viscount for his assurance and with your Lordships' permission I will withdraw the Amendment now.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 10 agreed to.

Remaining clause agreed to.

Schedule agreed to.

Bill reported without amendment.