§ Captain Bullockasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of his recent decision that the quinquennial valuation shall be postponed for two years, he will consider the desirability of instructing local rating authorities to bring down the level of assessments now being applied to property erected since the beginning of 1937 and which are based on the anticipated valuation for 1939 which has now been postponed?
§ Sir K. WoodThe determination of assessments for rates is entirely a matter 1325W for the local rating and assessment authorities, subject to a right of appeal to the courts and I have no power to give them any instructions in the matter. As I stated in the course of the Second Reading of the Rating and Valuation (Postponement of Valuations) Bill it would clearly not be possible to differentiate between recent amendments which brought the assessments to a higher level than the general level in the area and those which corrected assessments which were below the general level.