§ Mr. C. J. O'DONNELLasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that the double valuation of land under the Finance Bill to ascertain the fee simple value and the site value is intended to supply an elaborate and highly accurate record of every element of value in the land separately, and having in view the want of authority in an unprofessional and interested valuation made by an owner, he will consider a valuation by Government officials; whether he can state what would be the probable cost of such a valuation of the 32,000,000 acres of tillage and pasture land in Great Britain, and of the buildings, timber, fruit trees, fences, drains, etc., in, on, and under its surface; and whether he will explain how such a complicated valuation could be arrived at, at a cost, on the average, of less than 20s. per three acres?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI am afraid that I cannot give my hon. Friend the information for which he asks, but I can assure him that these points have received the careful consideration of the Government.
§ Mr. C. J. O'DONNELLasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Mr. J. Grant Lawson, Secretary to the Local Government Board, in April, 1905, made an estimate to the effect that a valuation separating the value of the site from the value of the buildings on it would cost for Great Britain at least 18 millions sterling; and whether this estimate included agricultural land?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI gather that my hon. Friend refers to the speech made by Sir J. Grant Lawson on the second reading of the Land Values (Assessment and Rating) Bill of 1905. I have no means of saying what his estimate included, or on what it was based.