§ Mr. PRETYMANasked the Minister of Agriculture what is the power conferred by this Section referred to in Section 31 of the Agriculture Act, 1920?
§ Sir R. SANDERSThe power referred to is the power of delegation which can be exercised by the Agricultural Committee, but not by a sub-committee of that Committee.
§ Mr. PRETYMANasked the Minister of Agriculture why, under Section 2 of the Agriculture Act, 1920, in fixing the minimum prices the cost of production in Ireland is to be taken into consideration when this part of the United Kingdom does not come within the provisions of the Act?
§ Sir R. SANDERSIn view of the fact that the figures of 68s. and 46s. suggested by the Royal Commission and adopted in the Act were arrived at after consideration of cost of production in Ireland as well as in Great Britain, the Commissioners may consider it desirable to give some consideration to cost of production in Ireland and, therefore, when the Bill was amended so as not to apply to Ireland it was not considered necessary to delete the provision enabling the Irish Department of Agriculture, if it so desires, to submit information to the Commissioners.
§ Mr. PRETYMANasked the Minister of Agriculture seeing that the repeal of Section 11 of the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1908, by the Agriculture Act, 1920, will apparently deprive tenants, under notice to quit at Lady Day next, of compensation to which they were entitled under the Section already referred to, what action does he propose to take to remedy the matter?
§ Sir R. SANDERSSection 38 of the Interpretation Act, 1889, preserves rights and liabilities acquired or incurred under a repealed enactment and enables them in be enforced as if the repealing Act had not been passed. This seems to meet the difficulty suggested by the hon. Member.